Professor at ISCTE-Executive Education, coordinator of the Empowerment postgraduate program at the same institution, and one of the most sought-after executive trainers and speakers in Portugal. Having delivered presentations to over 150,000 people in nine different countries, André holds a Master’s degree in Management from ISCTE-IUL, specializing in motivation, strategy, entrepreneurship, and public speaking.
Born in Angra do Heroísmo, he demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit from a young age. At six, he started a door-to-door flower business; at 24, he sold all his belongings, secured sponsorships, and embarked on a solo round-the-world expedition to meet entrepreneurs, an experience he documented in his first book, “Make it Happen” (2015). Author and co-author of several books published in Portugal and Spain, he wrote and presented the television series “Make it Happen” (Canal Q).
In 2016, he was named one of the “seven young people who are changing the world” by the Pangea association (Madrid) and, in 2017, one of the “twelve young leaders of Portugal” by the National Youth Council (Portugal).
He is the founder of several companies. He has raised thousands of euros for social causes and helped hundreds of people realize their dreams and projects. The contacts he has established with over 400 successful managers and entrepreneurs worldwide have allowed him to extract the lessons he shares in his work.
The feedback that I got from my 200 employees was just phenomenal. They say it was the best talk ever!
When I think of Andre, I think of passion, commitment, and doing. Andre will bring a lot of energy and value to any engagement.
His delivery showcased the learner in him along with the grit, passion and perseverance he has endured to travel around the world and understand how does different countries and its entrepreneurs succeed or meet the challenges.
André takes it to a mesmerizing round-the-world experience! It´s so inspiring! André can “make happen” what many people just talk about. The world needs more ‘Andrés Leonardos’!
André’s presentation is credible, impressive and particularly funny. The attendees have all received his best seller, ‘make it happen’. A book that reads very pleasantly and quickly. The survey we always carry out after our events showed a particularly high appreciation for the reading of Andre.
At the tender age of 24, André Leonardo – the Azorean from Terceira Island – set off on a year-long journey around the world that would take him to 23 different countries. His aim was simple: to seek energy as well as a spirit beyond the ‘ crisis ‘ and ‘ debt ‘, to establish contact with positive people, Both in business and in life, learning from people who overcome all sorts of adversities and that more than creating companies or promoting projects, Made it happen by staring at the present and the future with optimism and the ability to dream. It was urgent to collect these cases scattered all over the world by radically different societies, cultures and political-economic contexts – And yet all connected by the same will to make it happen.
André is the host and author of “Faz Acontecer” (Make it happen) TV Series.
“Faz Acontecer” is a Portuguese travel and entrepreneurship show that airs on the portuguese channel CanalQ. In it, André Leonardo visits cities where he meets and reports stories of inspiring local entrepreneurs and at the same time gets to know the local culture, people, habits and cuisine.
André Leonardo travelled alone to the 4 corners of the world taking only a backpack and a camera. He gathered inspiring entrepreneurship stories throughout his 126-thousand-kilometer journey and which he presents us in his book. Here the word entrepreneurship takes on a new meaning and definitely reveals itself as a lifestyle. An attitude towards life regardless of the environment and time we live in.
During 1 year André visited 23 countries – Portugal, Czech Republic, Israel, Palestine, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, India, Nepal, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, USA, Canada and England.
The story behind the entrepreneur. What is his story? What’s his favorite quote? How many hours did he need to make his dream come true? Where, how and why? In this book, you will find the most inspirational entrepreneurship stories that André gathered all over the world.
In this book you can find the most valuable lessons André’ve learnt filled with travelling and inspiration. One of this amazing experiences, “Put things into perspective” (Kibera story) was nominated “One of the best 80 stories from around the world” by the Navigator Company.
André sold everything he owned and looked for sponsors (only 7 said ‘yes’ out of 97). With a very short budget and with no money for accomodation or food he decided to go anyway. During this mission he lost almost 10kg, slept on the streets and was robbed. But he made it happen.
