José Rui Meneses e Castro, Co-CEO and founder of MAP Group, is the 84th guest on Eco’s “E Se Corre Bem?” podcast.
Having graduated in Civil Engineering from the Instituto Superior Técnico, he admits that he had always dreamed of becoming an engineer, largely due to his father’s influence; his father was also an engineer and a lecturer at the Instituto Superior Técnico. After graduating, he aspired to become the CEO of a multinational company. However, a “market gap” inspired him to create his own company, the MAP Group.
“Even as a little boy, Zé Rui thought he would be an engineer. I don’t remember ever wanting to be anything else. I did my degree at the Instituto Superior Técnico, which was a very demanding course, but it provided an excellent foundation and taught me how to overcome challenges. I completed the degree in five years and became a father at the end of my studies. It was a great adventure and a huge responsibility because I wasn’t working and I was only 21,” José Rui Meneses e Castro began.
Initially, becoming a father at such a young age meant that José Rui had to accept support from his grandparents in order to provide for his family. However, he insists that his aim was always to become independent of that support as quickly as possible. ‘I took on a family with a fair bit of responsibility – with support, certainly – but I didn’t rely on it, and that shaped me. So, when I finished my degree, I started working straight away and was very motivated to do well from the outset in order to become independent.”
He started at Somague in the sales department. Despite being eager to get out on site, he took the advice of the sales director who interviewed him, who recommended he start in this area to gain a better understanding. “He told me that this way I would be integrated into the company and get to know everyone, so that when I needed to turn to anyone later on, I would already know them. He said that this would help me to understand what it takes to win a contract and that, when I did win one, I would manage it much better because I would know just how difficult it is to win it,” he explained.
And so it was. After two years in sales, he felt it was time to move into site management. When he secured a new project, he asked to oversee it and was given the opportunity. ‘I took on the role of site manager for that project, which was brand new. I’d spent two years in sales, and then, aged 24, I took on the considerable responsibility of site manager for a residential tourism project in Torres Vedras, the Campo Real.’
The project was a success, so he continued to take on site management roles. However, there came a point when he had to make a strategic decision about his career, so he left Somague to join the small property development group The Edge. ‘I went to work as technical director for this fledgling property development group because I felt it was important to work in property investment. I wanted to understand the whole cycle and learnt a great deal about the property sector. Meanwhile, I also completed a Master’s degree in Property Management at ISEG. It was at this point that the idea for MAP was born,” explained José Rui.
“I had two options: either continue my career in the corporate world as an engineer and manager, or devote myself 100 per cent to my own project. That’s when I came up with the idea for MAP with my friend Diogo Abecasis, and we’re still partners today. I saw an opportunity when I realised that investors were struggling to find construction companies to hire because the big firms had gone bust at the height of the property crisis and many had lost interest in the Portuguese market. I also realised that the sector was viewed with suspicion and had a bad reputation. It annoyed me that there was this stigma of non-compliance in the construction industry, despite it being full of highly skilled professionals,” he continued.
To address these shortcomings, he and his partner decided to set up MAP whilst they were still working for other companies. ‘We rented a small room above the Villaret Theatre and hired two people to work with us part-time. We paid these people out of our own salaries, which we received from the companies where we were still employed. It was a risky decision, but one I was happy to take.”
This ultimately led to the creation of MAP, a construction firm, which meant they had to work overtime and at weekends. ‘In the evenings and at weekends, I tried my hand at refurbishing cafés and flats and painting walls. We got started through a friend who had refurbished a flat and asked us for advice. It started through word of mouth, and what allowed us to break into the market more quickly was the fact that my friends and Diogo were seen as key figures in the sector, which made all the difference,” admitted José Rui.
The company is now 13 years old and expects to finish 2026 with a turnover of over 150 million and 300 direct employees. Although it started out as a general contractor, the MAP Group now covers the entire property investment cycle. ‘We have MAP Engenharia e Construção, a general contractor that builds all kinds of developments. Then we set up two further construction companies: Villas, which specialises in luxury construction, and Map Spaces, which operates in the fit-out market. We also have a property management company that manages and maintains buildings. In addition, we carry out property investment through co-investment in certain projects”.
I often say that we’re still in the early stages. I want the MAP Group to be a global company, so internationalisation will be essential. Ultimately, I think I’ve achieved what I envisaged when studying at Instituto Superior Técnico: to become the leader of a large organisation. This has come to pass in a company that I founded myself, but I still want the organisation to grow much bigger. I’ll work towards that, and I’m sure it will go well,” he concluded.
Read the full article on the interview with José Rui Meneses e Castro in Eco – José Rui Meneses e Castro, Co-CEO and founder of MAP Group, is the 84th guest on the podcast “E Se Corre Bem?”
Other platforms available:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/3f9gUBhclex1XcnDAjqaZN?si=bviN9cvSS7CmDXxNbldPkQ
Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/e-se-corre-bem-com-jos%C3%A9-rui-meneses-e-castro/id1766089419?i=1000774651007&l=en-GB
