the team
Meet the Leap Assets team, boasting over 61 collective years of diverse experience in domestic and international markets. Our journey is defined by experimentation, project realization, and overcoming challenges. Equipped with the expertise to navigate every step, we present optimal strategies.
The motivation of our team lies in the journey itself, driving us to bring projects to fruition and inspire others to join us on this path.
Founder and Executive Director
Georges Bou Jaoude
His personal map covers different geographies, e.g. Athens, where he studied Business Management at the University of La Verne. Two decades after joining FFA, he rose to the top as Chairman and CEO of FFA Real Estate and General Manager of FFA Private Bank, working in both the Lebanon and Dubai offices. The company's expansion, first, to Germany and later to Portugal, played a major role in his change of course and led him to establish Leap Assets. It was never luck, it was his contagious energy and creativity in approaching business that made him risk and invest in Lisbon since 2015, where he moved to in 2020. His example as an investor has shaped the company adding to it the values that make him believe in the power of networking and of sharing knowledge with the community. It's not just about receiving, we need to give and inspire everyone around us, employees, partners, clients. And he keeps doing it from a distance in the rural communities in Lebanon, where its roots lie.
Managing Director
Diogo Sousa Franco
He graduated in Civil Engineering. He began his career budgeting large infrastructure works, where he gained added experience and worked also in the field of supervision. His journey took him to countries like Cape Verde and Mozambique, where he was project manager. Upon his return, he joined the JLL team, and Lusinvest Holdings before becoming a member of the Leap Assets team, since it was established, in 2020. Books are his preferred means to find answers about the world around him.
Investment and Business Development Associate
Sebastião Van Zeller
He graduated in Management from Universidade Católica Portuguesa and took a Master's degree from Hult University, in London. He worked at Mercer and EY, in Portugal and Angola, and entered the real estate market at Norfin, before joining Leap Assets. He is a sportsman and equally committed to his work to get the best results and he knows that life, like business, calls for team spirit and resolve when taking the helm.
Project Manager
Luís Rodrigues
He was born in Torres Vedras and he is an expert in the Western region, an increasingly appealing place for investors given the quality of life it provides. He graduated in Architecture, from Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa. He worked in asset management, development, and projects. He joined Leap Assets in 2022 and keeps pursuing a career focused on challenges.
Project Manager
Faek Abillama
He is a world citizen, from Paris, where he was born and where he studied Architecture having later engaged in a journey and worked in major works in Lebanon, Qatar, and Ivory Coast. He explored other lines, scales, and cultures and he moved to Portugal in 2022 with a rich background and joined Leap Assets. His projects reflect these experiences that transform spaces and come up with solutions in an ever-changing society.
Sales Manager
Cecília Peixoto
She holds a degree and a master’s degree in educational sciences from the Faculty of Psychology, University of Coimbra, she was a lecturer, entrepreneur, and manager, and worked in operational marketing, communication, and marketing. She worked for some time as real estate agent and HR at Remax. Her current role as sales manager at Leap Assets since 2023 thus adds to the many positions she has taken. Her journey provided her with the right tools to negotiate, anticipate each client's requirements, and exceed expectations.
Executive Assistant
Rita Ferreira
Knowing how to adapt to all fields, circumstances and projects requires a fair amount of mastery. And adding the rigor, passion, and dedication to mastery as required in an artistic practice, we may say Rita embodies such characteristics. She studied Conservation of Art, Art Market Management, and Art Expertise and later tool a Post-graduation in Business Management. She was key account manager and team leader at LovelyStay, and customer relations manager at Athena Advisers. She has been part of Leap Assets since it was established, guiding the team and making sure they meet every goal.