João Doria

João Agripino da Costa Doria Júnior was born in São Paulo, the son of an advertising professional and federal deputy João Doria and businesswoman Maria Sylvia Vieira de Moraes Dias.[9] From his paternal family, he is a descendant of the aristocratic Doria family of Genoa, specifically the Costa Doria Family branch, that migrated to Colonial Brazil in 1549, and become one of the richest in Bahia, owing its wealth to the ownership of Engenhos and slaves. With the economic stagnation of Northeastern Brazil in the 18th century, the family lost most of its former wealth.[10][11] His great uncle was the jurist and life-long abolitionist Ruy Barbosa.[11][12]

Following the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, Doria's father was ousted from the Chamber of Deputies for supporting leftist president João Goulart.[13] Doria's family had to take refuge in the embassy of Communist Czechoslovakia. Though Doria himself, his brother and mother returned to Brazil two years later, his father had to remain in exile for the next ten years.[14][11][15][16] Upon returning to Brazil, Maria Sylvia established a diaper factory in Pinheiros and the family made their home in the upscale Higienópolis neighborhood.[17] In 1974, Doria's father returned to Brazil as commercial director of an Argentine wine exporting company.[16][18] Two months after his father's return, Doria's mother Maria Sylvia died of pneumonia.[19]

Doria began working at Rede Tupi at the age of 18 while he studied social communication at Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP).[20] After graduating from FAAP, Doria was director of the MGM advertising agency.[20] Doria headed the federal tourism agency Embratur from 1986 to 1988 during the presidency of José Sarney.

In 1992 he founded Grupo Doria, a group of six companies.[21] He would later create the LIDE business group in 2003 that brought businessmen and politicians in Brazil together.[22] By 2017, LIDE had 1,700 members that represented 54% of Brazil's gross domestic product.[22]

Doria opposes abortion with an exception to victims of rape and is against decriminalization of drugs. He supports reduction of the age of criminal responsibility in Brazil and political and electoral reform. He has also expressed support for Operation Car Wash, stating that it has "fundamental importance" to the nation.[37] He has also been nominated by PSDB to represent the party in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, but was later removed by his own party.

Doria married plastic artist Beatriz Maria Bettanin in 1987, with the couple having three children together.[22] Their family lives in the Jardim Europa neighborhood of São Paulo in what is recognized among the largest mansions in the city.[22]

Doria was elected as one of the 100 most influential personalities of 2012 by ISTOÉ magazine,[38] and one of the 100 most reputable leaders in Brazil in 2014, according to a survey published in the country by Exame magazine.[39]

• Official website (in Portuguese)
• Grupo Doria