Who we are
Driven by a professional enthusiasm for Brazil, we at Ipanema International make it our mission to facilitate and accelerate business dealings between Brazil and the rest of the world. Our mindset and the way we do business comes from the country we work with: positive, practical, and without compromise.
Our story
Brazil is a continent of opportunity, for those who are able to see and access it. Having both worked in our respective fields of business consultancy and immigration law for many years, for us the realisation of those opportunities came in the year 2025. A shift in global politics, an upcoming free-trade deal between Mercosur and the EU and an affordable real estate market that is yet to grow became the triggers we needed. And since Brazil isn’t considered the easiest market to enter, both for business and real estate, it became our mission to lower the barriers. Our existing professional network, deep knowledge of the culture and language, and matching skills made Ipanema International the perfect choice. Now we enable clients to transact with Brazil and open up this continent to a successful future.
Introductions
Lennart Thomas
Lennart is a Dutch national living and working from Amsterdam.
After an intensive career in business consultancy, finance and logistics he decided to combine his professional experience and knowledge of Brazil.
After having first set foot in Brazil well over 10 years ago, Lennart knew right then that there is more to this country than people give it credit for. The sheer size, its diverse and warm culture and economic potential has always attracted him.
In the last decade Lennart lived and traveled regularly all over Brazil. He became proficient in Portuguese and has been fortunate to meet many Brazilians working in different industries and with various backgrounds.
Elenice Duarte
Elenice is a registered Brazilian lawyer from the nation’s capital city – Brasilia. She currently lives between Brazil and Amsterdam.
After completing her master’ sat the university of Brasilia she started her own company helping Brazilian nationals in immigration affairs abroad.
Elenice has a broad understanding of and experience with international residencies, property registrations and business law. Taking on legal due diligence, contracting and formal representation she works together with Lennart to provide a full service to Ipanema’s clients.