Born in Araxá, a city in the Triângulo Mineiro, Romeu Zema, 54, is the father of two children. With a degree in Business Administration from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (SP), he began his professional career very early, at the age of 11, following in his father's footsteps. Throughout his career, he has worked in various roles, such as collector, petrol station attendant, clerk, stockist, cashier, buyer, salesperson, marketing analyst, commercial analyst and manager. In 1991, he took over Lojas Zema and was responsible for the leap that took the retail chain from just four units in Minas Gerais to 430 shops, including the states of São Paulo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia and Espírito Santo. Passionate about people management and development, he has encouraged practices that are reflected in the Zema Group's presence in the ‘Best Companies to Work For’ ranking for 15 years, according to surveys by the Great Place to Work Institute. Romeu Zema is currently a member of the Board of the Zema Group, which is made up of companies operating in five branches: home appliance and furniture retail, fuel distribution, car dealerships, financial services and auto parts. There are 5,000 direct employees and approximately 1,500 indirect employees. The Zema Group is the largest chain to prioritise cities in the interior of Brazil with up to 50,000 inhabitants.