Early Life
Ana Lucia de Mattos Barretto Villela was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on October 25, 1973. She is a member of one of Brazil's oldest banking families. Villela's parents died in a plane crash when she was eight years old. She has a brother, Alfredo Egydio Arruda Villela Filho. She and her brother were raised by their aunt and later by their paternal aunt.
Rise to Success
Ana Lucia holds a bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and a master's degree in Educational Psychology from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP). She is also a board member of Itaú Unibanco. She began participating in the bank's council at 21 years old, in 1995. In 2001, she left the bank's council to focus on social causes.
Key Business Strategies
Ana Lucia is one of the largest individual shareholders of Itausa Investimentos Itau SA. She is the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Itausa. Itausa has interests in finance and real estate and controls Itau Unibanco.
Philanthropy
In 1994, Ana Lucia and her brother co-founded the Instituto Alana, a non-profit organization focused on the rights and development of children. The Instituto Alana aims to promote the full experience of childhood.