Wladimir Alvares de Mello of Metropolitan Transports in Brazil died peacefully in hospital in São Paulo on 29 January, 2021. He leaves behind his children, Pedro, Thiago, Nicolau, and Cristina, and his wife, Martha. His family were with him at the end. He was 79 years old.
Wladimir was born in the Portuguese sector in Shanghai in 1941 where his father was the Portuguese ‘General Counsel’. The family later returned to Portugal where Wladimir was raised in the town of Trancoso, around 150km east of Porto. At the age of 17, Wladimir travelled to Brazil where he started working for a local moving company. On 1 April, 1969 he started his own business, Metropolitan Transports.
He built his business into a major force in the region with an unashamed focus on sales. He was a charismatic and colourful member of the international moving industry, well known for his drive and enthusiasm for the business ...
Photo: Wladimir at the Metropolitan 50th anniversary in Seville in 2019.