THE DIRECTORS Marcello Palumbo Born and raised in Naples, Italy, a city renowned for its magnificent Renaissance architecture, it is not surprising that Marcello Palumbo has always been passionate about art and design. After studying building science in the beautiful city of his birth, Marcello had the opportunity to channel his energy and passion into construction. Following his studies, Marcello worked in the field of Quantity Surveying for prominent construction companies before joining his present business partner at a company in Johannesburg. Marcello and Filippo discovered that their visions, aspirations and work principles were almost identical and together they formed a powerful team that gave birth to the company, Filcon Projects. Moving into its 13th year, the company has expanded into all sectors of construction and beyond South Africa into the sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Mauritius. Marcello attributes his good working relations with staff to his invaluable experience gained while working for other people. It has given him insight into people and their needs and resulted in effective communication and management. He believes that if your staff are given a comfortable environment to work in and the best tools needed for the job, they manage themselves. Craig Delport Having spent 12 years as a commercial attorney and the senior partner of Delport ward & Pienaar attorneys, Craig and Richard started Antworx property developments in 2003. With the creation of Fildev in 2008 , the growth of the company necessitated that Craig resign as a partner of DWP (although he remains a senior consultant to the firm). Craig now takes primary responsibility for acquisitions , and sourcing opportunities for the group as well as being in charge of legal affairs and structured finance. As a practicing attorney Craig brings a wealth of commercial and legal experience to all aspects of the group. Filippo Cinti He began his career as an electrical expert and worked his way up to the position of Contracts Manager. Born in Johannesburg, Filippo has been working in the construction industry for 34 years. In 1995 Filippo Cinti and his partner Marcello Palumbo established Filcon Projects, a powerful company providing services in all construction sectors-including residential, commercial and industrial. Filippo assigns his success to his ability to communicate effectively and foster strong relationships with people at all levels in his organisation, "I have a personal rapport with all my staff, from management to junior level. I believe in good communication, encouragement and setting goals. This builds a harmonious working environment, which in turn makes managing staff a pleasure!" Filippo thoroughly enjoys his work and his greatest pleasure is to watch a project come to life as it emerges out of the ground and transforms into a magnificent building. He believes that the greatest challenge in the construction industry is the lack of skilled personal, and overcomes this through adapting wages and rates to find the most suitable people for the job as well as by contributing towards skills development. Richard Goudvis Richard qualified as a lawyer in Cape Town where he met Craig Delport, another director of Fildev. After practising for 4 years Richard left the legal profession to start his first business, a specialist youth and student travel shop, now having branches countrywide. Richard is no longer actively involved in this business, but sits on its board.. After dabbling in the property market in JHB, Rchiard moved to Cape Town in 2000, where Richard and Craig started buying property, developing and / or renovating it. Richard is hands on, casting slabs, project managing complete jobs, and generally learning his trade on-site.