About the founder

My name is Giovani Pretto, and I am passionate about helping people connect and build their business. I was born, educated and have been doing business in Brazil all my life, and I have lived and worked in Australia since 2014. The core focus of Pretto International Services is to use my extensive contacts and knowledge to bridge the gap and help you successfully conduct business and sales between Australia and Brazil.

*Above: A paint of my great-grandfather’s first wheat mill in Progresso/RS – Brazil (1930’s)

A bit more, my history and work passion

I was born in Brazil, to a dynamic family – descendants of Italian immigrants, I learned the value of self-starting work from an early age. Entrepreneurship ‘is in the blood’ in my family. My great-grandfather, Jose Pretto, was an example of an entrepreneur, starting with his sons a wheat mill in the 1930’s. The mill, which was on the edge of a cliff, took advantage of a waterfall to move its gears. The mill also peeled rice and generated energy for the small municipality of Progresso / RS. Even today, there is a school with my great-grandfather’s name in that municipality.

*Above: 1939 – My great-grandfather José Pretto (far right) with two of his sons, Domingo & Arlindo, checking the spot where three staff members are cutting rocks that will form the base for the first wheat mill of the family.

At the age of 21, after working in my family’s company and having completed my military service, I started my apprenticeship in sales with General Motors do Brasil – Pretto Veículos Ltda, in Encantado / RS.  At the age of 25, in 2001, I opened a used-car dealer. At age 28, I spent 2 years travelling in Italy, England and Australia. I returned to Brazil speaking Italian and English fluently and finished my academic studies in Business Administration/International Trade and expanded my dealings consulting to business –  I have set up teams, and advised medium-sized Brazilian companies and developed suppliers in Asia, participating in trade fairs in China and Hong Kong.

In 2012, after completing my MBA in International Business, I returned to Australia and have been working in international logistics since 2014. I have also been providing services in the international area for government agencies.

My passion for consulting in the international sphere is related to my way of being. I have an interest and talent to find connections & solutions for interesting projects.  My experience in international business, coupled with my innate curiosity and interest in interacting and connecting with people across different cultures makes this happen naturally.