Page 90 - Speedhorse March 2019

ROSSING
CONTINENTS
by Stacy Pigott
Ifthere were only one word to describe Marcos Riberio Leite, it would be
visionary. The Brazilian businessman founded CSU Group, a global leader in the electronic payment market. Today, he is directing his entrepreneurial acumen toward his international Quarter Horse breeding and racing operation, Haras Portofino.
Building a business
Leite’s business background is well documented in notable publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. After graduating from Getulio Vargas Foundation with an undergraduate degree in business administration, he started his career as a trainee at Credicard, where he was promoted to vice president at the young age of 28.
In 1992, he created CardSystem Ltd., an independent electronic patent processor that, just four years later, became the first company
in Brazil to work simultaneously with the three major credit card brands – Visa, MasterCard and American Express. By 2005, the renamed CSU Cardsystem had established itself as the largest independent card processor in the country.
With CSU, Leite has created a unique and innovative business model through technological
solutions that integrate and
uphold CSU’s corporate vi s
n
d
d
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i
:
the market it operates in by offering its customers
complete solutions and winning the respect, admiration and confidence of its public.
Now, Leite is banking that the same corporate values that took CSU to the top – commitment, excellence, lasting relationships and ethical principles – will translate into international success for Haras Portofino, as well.
Commitment
CSU’s website states: “Commitment is one
of the most important values for the growth and good functioning of the company.” Leite’s strong commitment to Quarter Horse racing is evident by his recent acquisition of Teller Cartel, even though horses are a passion Leite only found as an adult.
“I was born in the city and I spent most
of my time in the urban area,” Leite said. “I became interested in racing Quarter Horses as an adult. I had the desire to own a property in the country after I became a father, and in my early 30s, I started a project to buy a farm.
“In the process of searching for a farm, I attended an auction of racing Quarter Horses at
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86 SPEEDHORSE, March 2019