Early Life
Alfredo Egydio Arruda Villela Filho was born in São Paulo in 1969. He is the grandson of Eudoro Villela and the great-grandson of Alfredo Egydio de Souza Aranha, who founded Banco Itaú. His parents died in a plane crash in 1982 when he was 12 years old, after which he and his sister, Ana Lúcia, were raised by their aunt, Maria de Lourdes Egydio Villela.
Rise to Success
Alfredo Egydio Arruda Villela Filho earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia and an MBA from Fundação Getúlio Vargas. His career progressed within the family's financial empire. He is the largest individual shareholder of Itausa, the holding company and the largest individual shareholder. He also serves as the Executive Vice President of Itausa, which controls Itau Unibanco, Brazil's largest private sector bank.
Key Business Strategies
A key element of Alfredo's involvement has been in Itausa's strategic investments. Itausa controls Itaú Unibanco, Duratex, Elekeiroz, Itautec, and Alpargatas. This has involved navigating complex financial markets and making decisions that impact the performance of these significant Brazilian companies.
Philanthropy
Alfredo, along with his sister Ana Lúcia, co-founded the Alana Institute in 1994. The institute focuses on promoting education and cultural activities for children.