Project Governance and Leadership for Senior Executives

Ricardo Vargas is an experienced leader in global operations, project management, business transformation and crisis management.

Specializing in implementing innovative global initiatives, capital projects and product development, Ricardo has directed dozens of projects across industries and continents, managing more than $20 billion over the past 25 years.

Ricardo shares his expertise and passion with millions of professionals around the globe through his “5 Minutes Podcast,” which he has hosted since 2007 and has reached 12 million views since its release. He has written 16 books on project management, risk and crisis management and transformation, which have been translated into seven languages and sold over half a million copies. His influence on the sector was affirmed when he received the highest recognition of the Project Management Institute, the PMI Fellow Award.

Ricardo is a seasoned board member who has participated in the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC) board member program. He was the first Latin American Chairman of PMI worldwide, where he served for four years. He also serves on the advisory board of Yera, an Estonian startup dedicated to improving employee performance and engagement through technology and artificial intelligence.

His work as a venture capitalist and entrepreneur in artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data, chatbots and machine learning resulted in tools and products that have revolutionized how users bring agility and agile management into project management software.

More than two decades ago, he founded Macrosolutions, a consulting firm with international operations in energy, infrastructure, IT, oil and finance with dozens of clients globally.

Between 2016 and 2020, Ricardo directed the Brightline Initiative, a Project Management Institute think tank that brings together other leading global organizations into a coalition dedicated to helping executives bridge the expensive, unproductive gap between strategy design and delivery. Ricardo developed and presented a Coursera Online Course on “Bridging the Gap Between Strategy Design and Delivery,” viewed by more than 26,000 students around the globe.

Prior to his work with Brightline, Ricardo directed the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Infrastructure and Project Management Group. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark and with operations in more than 120 countries, Ricardo and his team led more than 1,000 projects and $1.2 billion in refugee camps, rural roads, maternity clinics and housing efforts and managed the ESG program, responsible for the first sustainability report in the United Nations system. Following his time at the UN, he collaborated to document the lives of the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan and create the treatment for the documentary “Zaatari: Memories of the Labyrinth,” a German-Brazilian production that showcases the tragedy of war and the men, women and children seeking a better life.

Ricardo started his career with two partners founding AeC in Brazil, where he was responsible for the services and training areas. A company with three initial employees grew and diversified the business from traditional software sales into outsourcing, project management, call center and IT services, becoming one of the leading technology groups in the country. When Ricardo decided to leave to develop his work internationally, the AeC Group had 1,500 employees. Today, Ricardo continues to appreciate the success of his two former partners, who are now leading the current 25,000 employees.

He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Federal Fluminense University in Brazil, an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil.

Ricardo has received the most relevant international accreditations and credentials in governance, sustainability and also in project, risk and change management. He has also earned accolades ranging from the PMI Fellow and Distinguished Award to the IPMA Achievement Award and the AACE Total Quality Management Award for his leadership in the field.

A dual citizen of Brazil and Portugal, when he’s not traveling the world to share his passion for strategic transformation, Ricardo enjoys gardening and cooking with his wife in their sunny place in Portugal.