Meet the International A-Team

We make your projects go as smoothly as possibly, while collecting the best information possible, and helping navigate the difficult aspects of researching and conducting business in Brazil.

Alan Stephen Grabowsky- President and General Director of ABACO Research

  • Experimental Psychologist
  • Ex-Director of Research and Planning for ALMAP-BBDO and USA FMCG firms in New York
  • 40+ years in market research
  • From Eastern USA
  • For some time, had the only Porsche 911s in Brazil, until a city bus caused a "fender-bender"

Maria (Mara) Luiza de Marco Leal- Executive Director of Research

  • Sociologist
  • Ex-Director Research Internacional Brazil, Transamerica Hotels, and R. J. Reynolds
  • 30+ years in market research
  • From Southern Brazil
  • Has a house on the beach... and we are all jealous

Mazé Alves- Field Operations Manager

  • Expert in Field Logistics
  • Ex-Planning Director for Research International, Brazil
  • 30+ years in market research
  • From Southeast Brazil (a native Paulistana, from São Paulo city)
  • Dances Rock-Samba/Samba in her free time

Barbara Freitas- National/ International Project Coordinator

  • Master in the Applied Science of Consumption
  • Background in Marketing and Advertising
  • From Southern Brazil (city sharing borders with Paraguay and Argentina)
  • Has the best snack-drawer in the office

Calvin Dart- International Project Coordinator

  • Master in Global Business Management
  • Background in Economics and Business Development
  • From Southwest USA
  • Turns Ibirapuera Park into his personal cyclocross course on the weekends

Gabriel Rocca - National/ International Project Coordinator

  • Social Communicator
  • Specialization Publicity and Advertising
  • From São Paulo
  • Listens to music as often as possible (or is singing it in his head)

You?- ABACO is always looking for  researchers passionate about uncovering consumer preferences and market trends. If you would like to join the International A-Team, please send your CV to Abaco@AbacoResearch.com and tell us what makes you tick. We look for candidates who are:

  • Persistently creative
  • Great communicators in Portuguese and English (or another language)
  • Good with numbers
  • Excellent spatial perception (can see around corners)
  • Capable of coordinating multiple simultaneous projects
  • Have insider knowledge about a particular industry of interest