Rúben Paula is the Director of Asset Management & Investment Southern Europe. He is a hospitality and real estate executive with over 25 years of international experience in hotel operations, asset repositioning, and business transformation across Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa. He has held senior leadership roles in companies like Cedargate, MGM Muthu Hotels, Hipoges’ (KKR fund) hotel management platform, JJW Hotels & Resorts, Altis Group, Vila Galé Hotels, including COO positions overseeing portfolios of more than 50 hotels, leading multi-property turnarounds, brand negotiations, and performance-driven operational frameworks to enhance profitability and asset value.

He is a board advisor in some family offices and has advised investors, hotel owners, and institutional funds on asset strategy, repositioning, feasibility, and value creation, aligning operational excellence with investment objectives. 

Rúben holds an MSc in International Hotel Management from the University of Surrey and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He has been Professor of Business Strategy Management, Hotel Development and Strategic Marketing Management in several Master's Degrees and General Managers Programmes, as well as former Vice President of the Algarve Hotel Owners Association (AHETA) and Algarve Tourism Bureau (ATA).