With almost 40 years of experience working in international private banking, Emilio brings his rich experience in both operational management and wealth planning to the Saint Joseph Group.

Since starting his career in 1983, Emilio worked with Citibank, Banco Frances e Brasileiro, Credit Lyonnais and Credit Agricole. His career has taken him through Brazil, the United States, and Uruguay where he excelled in providing clients access to cross-border investment management and opportunities. Through his years as a manager, Emilio has honed his former team, many of whom currently are part of the Saint Joseph Group.

Emilio received his degree in Civil Engineering from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, a Master of Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, and received his MBA in Marketing from the same university. He was a professor of Financial Mathematics and Marketing and published “Matemática Financeira para Executivos” which is currently in its 6th edition.

Emilio is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French.

With over 50 years of experience, Miguel “Mike” Valdes has an unparalleled career spanning both decades and continents.

His primary focus is in international tax planning and controversy resolution, with a strong specialization in clients coming from or working in Latin America. His distinguished career includes work for United States professional services giants, Coopers & Lybrand, Mayor Brown and Andersen Tax, and Ernst and Young, where he retired as a partner. His international work includes serving as a partner for Machado Associados in São Paulo, as well as working for Koury, Lopes Advogados. Mike is one of the founders of Lataxnet, a tax network spanning Latin America, where he keeps connections with attorneys and accountants.

Mike received his BS from Loyal University Chicago, a Master of Science in Taxation from DePaul University, and a law degree from DePaul University School of Law. He serves as a professor of International Tax and Transfer Pricing at DePaul University.

Mike is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

João Pedro Volz is a native of Brazil and longtime resident of Miami where he serves as Partner in the firm’s flagship office.

João has spent his career focused on corporate, contract, and tax law. His area of expertise includes the practical application of those fields to international cross border transactions. He has had broad experience working in international tax planning and compliance. João worked at Andersen Tax before participating in the formation of the Saint Joseph Group.

João is a proud graduate of the University of Miami where he received his BA in History, Economics, and Psychology. He attended the University of Miami School of Law, where he received his JD and an LLM in International Law.

João is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.