Vanguard Properties founder Claude Berda dead
Claude Berda, the French investor who invested over €5Bn in Portugal’s premium residential property market with flagship developments in Comporta, Lisbon and the Algarve, is dead.
The billionaire who made his fortune in social and affordable housing in Switzerland and in television and media died today (Friday) December 19.
In 2016 he founded Vanguard Properties in Portugal with ground-breaking projects such as Castilho 203, Infinity Tower, and Terras da Comporta in the Alentejo.
The founder of the AB Group visited Lisbon in October, 2015 where he met Portuguese project manager José Cardoso Botelho (who left Vanguard this year to start his own projects) and the two businessmen founded Vanguard Properties in 2016.
Together they acquired the assets of Herdade da Comporta for €157 million in a consortium with Amorim Luxury.
This project evolved into the Terras da Comporta luxury estate including the Dunas and Torre development with an investment of over €1Bn. These projects are currently for sale.
In a statement to Jornal Económico, Jose Cardoso Botelho, ex-CEO of Vanguard Properties, said: “An extraordinary man has died. Claude Berda was a master in the art of foreseeing the future and a friend come rain or come shine.”
“His contribution to the real estate sector and his vision for Portugal are heritage legacies that will endure. At this time of great sadness my thoughts go out to his family”, he said.
Claude Berda, born on February 3, 1947 in Paris, is a French audiovisual entrepreneur and billionaire, who became a Swiss citizen in 2013.
He is co-founder and president of AB Groupe, a French company that owns 21 television channels and holds a vast catalog of audiovisual rights. He has numerous financial and real estate investments in Switzerland, where his estate and family office own a considerable fortune.
Image: Claude Berda (Left) with José Cardoso Botelho (right) who founded and built up Vanguard Properties in Portugal, investing around €5Bn.
