Early Life
Joao Moreira Salles was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1962. He is the son of Walther Moreira Salles, a banker and former ambassador to the United States, and Elisa Gonçalves. He comes from a family with a long history in banking, with his grandfather founding Casa Bancária Moreira Salles in 1924, which later evolved into Unibanco.
Rise to Success
Salles is primarily known as a documentary filmmaker and the founder of the magazine *piauí*. He entered the film industry, inspired by his brother Walter Salles Jr., a film director. Salles's career includes directing documentaries such as *News from a Personal War* (1999), *Nelson Freire* (2003), *Entreatos* (2004), and *Santiago* (2006). In 2006, he founded *piauí* magazine. The family's wealth comes from Itaú Unibanco and CBMM.
Key Business Strategies
While Salles is not directly involved in the day-to-day management of the family's banking and mining interests, his career as a filmmaker and founder of a cultural magazine reflects the family's encouragement of diverse pursuits. The family’s business strategy involves maintaining a significant stake in Itaú Unibanco, the largest private bank in Brazil, and CBMM, the world's leading supplier of niobium.
Philanthropy
In 2017, Salles and his wife, Branca Vianna Moreira Salles, donated R$350 million to create the first private Brazilian institute dedicated to scientific research and dissemination, named Serrapilheira.