With a wealth of experience in the industry, Manuela Robinson has a broad overview of the financial sector in Portugal, providing insight into the future of the market, even during these challenging times.

After completing studies in Business Economics in South Africa, Manuela then moved to Portugal and has been working in the financial sector for over 30 years, she joined Blacktower in 2013 and moved to her current position as Country Manager in 2015.

Blacktower was founded in 1986 by John Westwood and offers financial advisory services, successfully responding to the demands of the sector and taking into account the complexity of modern times, financial uncertainty, economic cycles, ever changing needs of investors’ interests and the constant changes in both national and international laws.

Manuela is part of a team of dedicated people, in both Europe and across the Atlantic, for whom the ultimate objective is to offer quality service that excels in investor protection.

While at Blacktower, Manuela has personally worked to develop the “building, managing and training of the team, as Blacktower thrives on providing helpful and professional services to all our clients.

“Alongside this, I have also worked on creating brand awareness by attending events, writing articles, talking on the radio, doing seminars/webinars and also one-on-one through my clients. This is however, something I enjoy immensely and it comes naturally to me. This type of marketing has proved to be very rewarding especially because most of my clients have come to me through word of mouth and we have seen the Blacktower name become extremely strong in Portugal,” said Manuela.

Since joining Blacktower, Manuela has seen many changes to the market in Portugal. She told The Portugal News: “In terms of positive changes in the Portuguese market we saw the Non Habitual Residency programme take off quickly. The Golden Visa and D7 Visa programmes also accelerated the influx of high net worth, non-European people flooding into Portugal.

“This has helped the Portuguese market to grow over the last few years with the injection of fresh money into the economy. Subsequently we have seen an increase in terms of people seeking financial advice from professionals like ourselves, due to the complexity of these types of programmes.”

During these challenging times Blacktower has also adapted to the needs of their clients by increasing their online offering for clients. “With all the anxieties that came with Coronavirus our biggest “certainty” was to keep providing quality services to our clients,” explained Manuela.

“Without the possibility of holding face-to-face meetings and events we had to bet on a strong online presence. During the lockdown we continued to service our clients through online meetings, webinars, and sending out more regular articles to reassure our clients during these unprecedented times. We are continuing our online push as it has proved immensely successful.”
While the future may be uncertain for many people right now, Manuela assures that Blacktower will remain a company of strength in Portugal. “We will continue to provide our clients and prospects excellent service and we will guarantee a safe and secure financial future. We are always attentive and acutely aware of any challenges that arise, always looking out for our clients’ best interests both financially and personally.”

And as for the future of the market in Portugal, Manuela is extremely positive in her outlook, honed after decades in the industry.

“I believe that Portugal will remain a very attractive destination for expats looking to either work or retire. I expect that with the increasing global tensions and political unrest, Portugal will be seen as a true safe-haven for those looking for a stable and secure future and lifestyle.

“This together with the many tax advantages will keep Portugal as one of the top countries to relocate to.”

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