Jornal Económico found that Alexandre Berda decided to leave the presidency of Vanguard Properties and recruited Henrique Rodrigues da Silva, current COO (Chief Operating Officer) of Norfin, a company in the Arrow Global group, which is one of the main real estate investment management companies in Portugal.
About four months after the departure of José Cardoso Botelho and the entry of Alexandre Berda to the leadership of Vanguard Properties, the real estate developer – which in November 2019 purchased the real estate assets of the Herdade da Comporta Closed Real Estate Investment Fund for 157.5 million euros – will once again change leadership.
Jornal Económico found that Alexandre Berda decided to leave the presidency of Vanguard Properties and recruited Henrique Rodrigues da Silva, current COO (Chief Operating Officer) of Norfin, a company in the Arrow Global group, which is one of the main real estate investment management companies in Portugal.
The luxury real estate developer, which includes projects such as Castilho 203, Infinity Tower, and the luxury development Terras da Comporta, will therefore be led by the company’s current executive administrator from Arrow Global, who, as reported, is analyzing Vanguard Properties’ tourist assets – Dunas and Torre –, both included in Terras da Comporta, which were put up for sale with financial advice from Alantra.
Alexandre Berda, son of Claude Berda, shareholder of the group, who died on December 19th, had assumed leadership of Vanguard on September 10th of last year, which was, at the time, described as a natural and organic transition and with the promise of wanting to optimize investments in Portugal and focus on residential, which is why he put some of the tourist and hotel assets up for sale. Remember that Claude Berda’s luxury real estate developer hired financial advisor Alantra to sell tourist assets.
Among the tourist assets that Vanguard has for sale, through Alantra, are some tourist and hotel lots in Torre and Dunas.
Vanguard is selling some lots in the Tower, namely part of the tourist and hotel area of the tourist project in Comporta, which includes two luxury hotels and 171 Branded Residences.
Vanguard said it intends to focus on residential lots in Torre, whose infrastructure is completed, and later in Dunas.
Vanguard owns Terras da Comporta, which is made up of the Comporta Dunes and Comporta Links developments and covers around 1,380 hectares of area, including buildings and forest.
Vanguard Properties currently owns two main golf courses, both integrated into the Terras da Comporta megaproject:
Dunas Golf Course: Opened in October 2023, it is an 18-hole course designed by David McLay-Kidd. It is widely awarded, having been voted “Best Course in Europe” and “Most Sustainable in the World” at the World Golf Awards; and the Torre Golf Course, opening in the second half of 2025, was designed by Masters champion Sergio García. It recently received the distinction of “Best New Golf Course in the World” at the 2025 World Golf Awards.
At the time, Vanguard’s spokesperson, Duarte Zoio, said that they wanted to “concentrate resources on the development of structural projects, such as Dunas, Torre and Foz do Tejo, as well as other reference projects that reinforce Vanguard Properties’ positioning as one of the main real estate developers in Portugal”.
The real estate developer, in addition to Terras da Comporta (Dunas and Torre), has the Muda Reserve (village), the Foz do Tejo, Tomás Ribeiro 79, Lisboete, Terraços do Monte, Riverbank, Lapa One developments. All are either under construction or yet to be built.
Then there are also Casas do Sal and White Shell already built and being sold.
