About Us

Official registration of CCILSA

CCILSA was constituted on the 28th July 1980 in Lisbon. At the time, the social bodies included elements residing in South Africa and Portugal, a tradition that continues to this day. Among the founders of CCILSA was, for example, the outstanding Portuguese businessman Thomé Feiteira, who came to be considered one of the richest men in the world.

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Nelson Mandela

In October 1993 Nelson Mandela was at the headquarters of CCILSA in Lisbon, on Avenida da Liberdade. Months before taking office as the first president of free South Africa, Nelson Mandela visited Portugal, which he had once passed through back in 1962, on his way to London. He found time for a visit to our headquarters.

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Tim Vieira

Tim Vieira was elected president of CCILSA before COVID struck and is a distinguished member of the Advisory Board at Nova School of Business & Economics. He co-founded and is president of Be Brave, an entrepreneurship booster association and is the founder of Escolhe Portugal and the founder of BGA - the Brave Generation Academy.

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First Female President

In 2023, the first female President of CCILSA was elected. Manuela Robinson, born in Mozambique and having lived in South Africa for almost 15 years and in Portugal for over 30, has strong ties between the two countries. She has worked in the financial sector for most of her life and is now an Associate Director and Country Manager for the corporation she works for. Additionally she has dedicated a large amount of time to Rotary in the Algarve, having been elected President of her club and serving on the board of various other associations.