It all started at the Cabo Ruivo refinery, in Lisbon, back in 1979. He began working at the Galp tower as an operator, which, to refresh people´s memories, is located in the northern area of Parque das Nações. A year and a half later he moved to the company’s offices on Rua do Alecrim to work as an office boy, an opportunity he grabbed without hesitating. Without ever having left his beloved Lisbon, where he was born in the district of Picheleira 67 years ago, Fernando Pereira's career has followed a very similar course to that of the company itself over the last (almost) 50 years. He was also a courier and doorman for almost two decades on the way to rising to the position he holds today: “I take care of the premises and the moves”, he says with the pride of someone who knows all these facilities better than anybody else. Moreover, he has worked at all the head-office buildings, of which there have been several, that are part of the company´s history and arranged all the moves, the most recent of which was to the brand new Allo building in Alcântara. “My role here was to transfer people from the Lisbon Towers, accommodate them in the building and direct them to where they had been assigned to”, he explains, while, with a twinkle in his eye, giving us a guided tour of the new headquarters, showing us every nook and cranny, from the amphitheatre to the modern restaurant-cafeteria, from the well-equipped gym to the open-plan spaces in which the work stations, meeting rooms and the like are located.
Fernando Pereira began working at the new Galp premises in Lisbon by accommodating the company´s employees arriving from the Lisbon Towers
The move, he adds, “was very easy because everything at Allo is new and was created from scratch in accordance with people's needs. Let's say that this is the icing on the cake of all the work I've carried out over the years, which makes me very happy. Yes, I´m ready to retire now”, says Fernando, who is thinking about leaving at the end of this year with a feeling of mission accomplished.
GALP AS THE WITNESS TO A LIFE
While this is the Galp headquarters closest to his heart, it´s the one on Rua do Alecrim that brings back memories of one of the best times of his life: “Because that was where I started after the refinery and where I started studying, having been encouraged to do so by my superiors in order to advance professionally. That was when I got married and my daughter was born and when I managed to strike a balance between the two jobs I had and needed due to my growing family. Indeed, these were busy, difficult times, as I used to leave Galp, go to school and then, at night, help a cousin who had a stall at Ribeira Market. I barely slept for three years”, recalls Fernando Pereira, however the rewards were forthcoming, namely a promotion to a role in space management, a task that was in line with what he liked to do, as he was already helping out his wife, Ana, who´s a decorator. Galp's offices were still at Marquês de Pombal when, in 1997, he began to plan the physical changes to all the company´s workstations to adapt them to the space available in the buildings housing Galp's headquarters. “It was highly creative work, seeing how we could arrange the furniture, computers and everything else and then distribute the people”.
Before joining the company, Fernando held several jobs. First in a furniture store, when he was just 13 years old, then at a metalwork plant, followed by a tailor´s shop and a vehicle workshop. In between, he even played the gongs in a musical group, Buzz, with which he travelled the country providing entertainment at parties, somewhat contrary to his parents´ wishes, who disapproved of his long hair, in vogue at the time and one of his most distinctive features.
SCENES FROM THE NEXT CHAPTER
Now, after more than 50 years of work, 45 of which have been spent at Galp, and about to retire, Fernando Pereira has no intention of being idle. For the time being, he intends to help out his wife, Ana, whom he met at one of his concerts and married 43 years ago, to take more thorough care of a small plot of land over in Benavente, where they keep some animals, while continuing to tick off new destinations while engaging in his other passion: travelling. “I've already been to Cape Verde, Mexico, Greece, Madeira and several other places both here and abroad, and my next ports of call are Cuba, Vienna, and New York”, he says.
Fernando Pereira is a staunch Benfica fan and “match days are sacred” as far as he's concerned
Obviously, he will now be able to dedicate more time to his social life and football. A staunch Benfica fan, Fernando never misses a game and even arranges his weekend activities around the games at the Stadium of Light. “I like having lunch and a snack with friends, but match days are sacred: I go to every game”, he declares with a chuckle. He registered his children as club members almost as soon as they were born and even his four-year-old granddaughter is already wearing a Benfica shirt.
Fernando Pereira, after more than 50 years of work, is one step away from a well-deserved retirement, full of plans to continue enjoying life with his family and engaging in his passions such as travelling and football. His story is a testament to decades-long dedication and perseverance at Galp.