• Pedro Jesus reinforces Mazars' executive team in Portugal as an international partner.
• Shares responsibility for managing the Financial Services area – Audit and Assurance services.
• Experience and expertise they are an asset to respond to new market challenges, such as talent management, digital transformation and ESG goals.
• The bet is in line with the area's growth strategy and reinforcement of the Mazars brand's notoriety.

 

December 15, 2021, Lisbon: Pedro Jesus is the new Mazars International Partner in Portugal. The Associate Partner of the international auditing, tax and consulting firm, which shares the responsibility for managing the Financial Services (FS) area, is appointed at a time when Mazars becomes No. 5 in this market in Portugal. The appointment in this area of ​​FS is aimed at the development, growth and consolidation of this business axis, in terms of the provision of Audit and Assurance services, and follows the firm's growth logic. This is a strategy of sustained growth in the quality of service and in the reinforcement of the Mazars brand's awareness among its stakeholders, between customers, regulators, shareholders and financial institutions.

Mazars' effective investment in Portugal in a team dedicated to the FS sector, implemented in 2018, is explained according to Pedro Jesus, "because we felt that this market needed new players, who could have the necessary capacity and skills to be recognized as a true alternative, even because the possible conflicts of interest between Auditing and other work limited the number of options to disposition of entities in the market”.

The new Mazars International Partner in Portugal adds: "in this sense, we developed the internal resources that had already worked in this area before and hired people with skills in each of the sectors that make up the Audit and Assurance area, so that we can be recognized in the market as a player that can make a difference" .

The results of the strategy are already visible: “so far we can safely say that this was a completely won bet. The good acceptance we had in the market is reflected in the significant growth – at double digits – that we have had annually in the Audit and Assurance Financial Services area”, concludes the new partner.

Mazars' FS area in Portugal currently encompasses a diversified group of clients in the areas of banking and credit institutions, insurance companies, investment funds (in real estate and real estate), pension funds and venture capital, and has more recently joined , the area of real estate market. The latter, in line with the Group's logic and with a view to extracting benefits from skills acquired in the analysis of independent expert valuations on real estate assets.

Respond to new market challenges

The appointment of Pedro Jesus takes place at a time when there are three enormous challenges that present themselves in the market, not forgetting the existence of an uncertain economic scenario that assumed a considerable preponderance.

First, the attraction and management of people. As a service provider, Mazars will only be able to maintain the provision of a quality service and grow, managing to attract and then retain people who have greater capacity and vocation for such a specific area of ​​activity. The identification and retention of talent is, therefore, a challenge for which it becomes necessary to find innovative approaches and solutions.

On the other hand, there is a need to encourage and monitor a process of technological transformation, which can be analyzed in two distinct dimensions: (i) externally, in the ability to create / implement new services to offer to the market and (ii) the internal level in the transformation/improvement of processes to enhance efficiency and competitiveness, in a scenario with increasing levels of demand and with fees under constant pressure.

Last but not least, the monitoring of all regulatory developments related to ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) and its potential impacts at regulatory, financial, risk management and business levels, among others.

To respond to these challenges, Peter Jesus brings "in addition to technical competence, which is a factor that will always be present in any top position in a service provider, resilience and the belief that it is possible to achieve goals, even in times when the scenario may not be the most favorable", says Luís Gaspar, Country Managing Partner of Mazars in Portugal. “I think that, regardless of the experience each one has, this is the main asset in any activity: believing and never giving up on reaching the goals we are proposing. At the same time, the ability to listen, versatility and adaptability, especially in today's world where changes happen with great speed and in a short time”, emphasizes Luís Gaspar.

A journey of experience and expertise

Pedro Jesus has a degree in Business Organization and Management from ISCTE. He started his professional activity in 2003, in the area of ​​management consulting. He worked for a year in the preparation of investment projects for the submission of applications for support programs included in the 3rd European Union support framework.

In September 2004 he joined Mazars, an entity where he has developed his entire professional career as an Auditor, having contributed to the company's development and growth. Initially, it developed its activity in a portfolio of clients divided between various sectors of activity (which included companies both in industry and services, and in the financial area, especially at the level of the asset management and insurance sector). From 2017 onwards, he dedicated himself exclusively to the financial area, currently sharing responsibility for the management of Mazars' Financial Services area, a department that includes a diversified Audit and Assurance work.

Additionally, and as a result of the work developed, it also acquired other skills, namely the Review of functional, administrative and accounting organization systems, the implementation of internal control systems, regulatory reporting (AML, Solvency II), consolidation of accounts, acquisition audits (due diligence), as well as accounting consultancy (IAS/IFRS, SNC). As of January 2021, he joined a team dedicated to handling and advising (internal and external) issues related to the interpretation of IFRS standards.

Also since January, he has been part of the Technical Committee of the Association of Chartered Accountants for the areas of Banking and Asset Management.