Mota-Engil has new CEO

Carlos Mota dos Santos has become the new CEO of the Sino-Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil founded by his grandfather, Manuel António da Mota who started out as a builder in Amarante in 1946.

At the age of 44 he inherits a family business with projects on three continents and an order book that has a record number of projects and turnover. Nevertheless, the company now wants to grow its non-construction areas of the business and improve its debt ratios.
Carlos Mota dos Santos will officially take the helm of the group on February 1 after a year in which the company clocked up between €13Bn-€14Bn in orders and a turnover of €3.6Bn.
Carlos Mota dos Santos had been in charge of the company’s business in Latin America with its headquarters in Mexico. His name was put forward to be chairman and president of the executive chairman of the board by his uncle António Mota after Gonçalo Moura Martins, who had led the group since 1995, stepped down to “begin a process of generational and top management change at the group.
In a communiqué sent to the Portuguese stock market and securities commission CMVM, the new chairman was described as “a professional with more than 20 years of experience with a thorough knowledge of the group’s business activities, having started out after completing his degree in civil engineering.
40% of Mota-Engil is controlled by the family while 32.5% of its shares are held by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), with both companies occupying 35% of the places on the board of directors.