Meet the executive team

Mr. Defortuna is President, CEO and Founder of Fortune International Group, a Miami-based full- service real estate firm recognized throughout South Florida, Latin America and Europe as a leader in high-end luxury real estate. He oversees all of the company’s activities across all of its business units. Mr. Defortuna is involved with the strategic decision making of the group, as well as the day-to-day operations of each of its divisions.

He started the business in 1983, and quickly became a driving force in real estate. Through his company’s success and far reach into U.S., European and Latin American markets, Mr. Defortuna is widely recognized for having made a significant contribution to the internationalization of Miami and its reputation as a global business, trade and vacation hub. He currently serves as a member of the Mayor of Miami’s International Council and also as Director of the Argentine-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in Miami. Additionally, he is a member of several charitable organizations in Miami, such as Manos del Sur, Mt. Sinai Hospital and St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Mr. Defortuna holds a Bachelors Degree in Electrical and Chemical Engineering from the National University of Argentina and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Miami. Fully fluent English and Spanish, Mr. Defortuna is married to Ana Cristina and has five children.

Mr. Imery has been with Fortune International Group since 2001 and is responsible for strategic company initiatives and overall financial planning. He is in charge of acquisitions and defining the financial structures for all development projects, including private and institutional capital and debt financing. He also provides project oversight and management throughout the development of all projects.

Previously, Mr. Imery worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions group of a construction services firm, completing a nationwide consolidation of over 20 companies. He also participated in the structuring and integration of that company for entry into the public market, supported by venture capital and institutional financing. He is a graduate of Stonehill College with degrees in Finance and Management.

Mrs. Defortuna serves as the company’s Executive Vice President. Ever since Mrs.Defortuna’s husband, Edgardo, introduced her to the world of real estate, she has expanded the reach of the Fortune International network, continually establishing new offices and selecting representatives throughout Latin America and Europe. First, she worked diligently as the Sales Director for Jade Residences at Brickell Bay – one of South Florida’s most successful residential towers and a Brickell area landmark. The building sold out and opened in the fall of 2004. Thereafter, Mrs. Defortuna has been instrumental in the development, from conceptualization to completion, of many other Fortune projects, including Jade Beach, Jade Ocean, The Bridgewater and most recently, Jade Signature.

Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Mrs. Defortuna studied at Boston University, where she graduated with a double degree in Finance and Business Administration. Today, in addition to her integral leadership role at Fortune International Group, Mrs. Defortuna is an active member of the community. She and Edgardo are founders of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation. Other charitable involvements include The Founders organization of Mount Sinai, Voices for Children Foundation, Shake-A-Leg, University of Miami and The Boy Scouts of America, and numerous others.

Mr. Gonzalez works directly with the Executive Vice President of Finance and the CFO in handling all financial, strategic and business development initiatives at Fortune International Group. He plays an active role in all financial management functions throughout the life of the company’s development projects, including the acquisition and structuring of new business for both Development and Development Sales projects. Mr. Gonzalez also manages key relationships with some of the company’s principal debt and equity partners.

Prior to joining Fortune International Group in 2004, Mr. Gonzalez worked at Morgan Stanley & Co., first in the Investment Banking Division based in New York and then for the Private Equity Group in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and subsequently in Menlo Park, California. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami.

Mr. Carballo joined Fortune International Group in 2004. He oversees operational and back-office functions including accounting, information technology, human resources, and contract administration within the company and for our development projects. He coordinates with and supports the Finance Division in debt and equity placements; is in charge of budget supervision for development projects, construction loan draws and financial reporting for the company and its asset management clients; and works with our sales teams, cooperating brokers, closing agents, buyers/buyer attorneys and banks to ensure that sales are properly collaborated and carried from contract signing to unit closing.

Mr. Carballo came to Fortune International Group from Iberia Tiles Corp., where he was Chief Financial Officer, managing and supervising information technology, human resources, finance/accounting functions and warehouse operations for five locations in the Southeastern U.S. He began his professional career in 1995 at the public accounting firm of KPMG LLP, performing audits of private and publicly held companies in a variety of industries. He is a graduate of Florida International University, with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting and a Masters in Taxation. He has been licensed as a Certified Public Accountant since 1996.

Mr. Brodeur joined Fortune International Group in 2011. He is responsible for acquiring future projects and strategic assets, and participates in capital raising activities.

He has a diverse background in banking, corporate finance, and accounting. Mr. Brodeur joined Fortune International Group from a senior executive position at Corus Bank. He was previously a Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Finance at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson; and prior to that, an executive at Esmark Corporation, a diversified consumer products holding company in Chicago. He began his professional career at the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse & Co.

Mr. Brodeur obtained his MBA at Northwestern University, and has undergraduate degrees in Finance and Accounting from Duke University. He is a native Miamian.

Mr. Choron joined Fortune International Group in 2001. A Florida State-certified general contractor with a bachelor’s degree in construction from the University of Florida, he has been administering real estate development projects in Florida and Texas since 1975, including residential, hotel, retail and commercial developments.

Mr. Choron previously spent ten years as Vice President of Construction for CMC Construction where he built the Santa Maria, Bristol Tower and Porto Vita projects. Prior to joining CMC, he was with McDevitt & Street (currently owned by Bovis Lend Lease) in Texas, where he played a key role in the development of significant office development projects including Allied Bank Tower in San Antonio, the Fairfield Town & Country in Houston, and the Lincoln Woodbranch Development Project.

As head of Fortune International Group’s design and development initiatives since 2002, Mr. Salvat has helped guide the creation of over 4 million sf of space worth $4.5 billion in sales. He has established and managed the company’s professional relationships with globally celebrated architects and designers. In Argentina prior to joining Fortune, Mr. Salvat was an urban planner and developer for two of the largest and most significant Latin American real estate projects of the 21^st century, Puerto Madero and Nordelta Ciudadpueblo in Buenos Aires.

He is a Founding Member of the Florida Chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism, supporting smart growth and the creation of vibrant and walkable mix-used communities, towns and cities. He graduated in 1992 from the Architect & Urbanist program at the University of Buenos Aires, and obtained a Master’s Degree in Business and Real Estate (MDI) from the Polytechnic Institute of Madrid in 2001. As a high-performance athlete and captain of Los Pumas, the Argentinian National Rugby Team, Mr. Salvat played in the 1995 Rugby World Cup and represented Argentina in more than 100 international events and competitions.

Kari is a seasoned real estate professional with more than 20 years in the industry. She is a top producer in numerous pre-construction projects with close to 400 million in sales including Millecento, One Miami, SLS Brickell, Paraiso Bay and more and directing developments like Brickell Heights, SLS Puerto Madero and Brickell Flatiron.  Kari joined Fortune Development Sales in 2019 as Vice President of Sales overseeing some of Miami’s most iconic developments including, Una Residences, Missoni Bai, Baccarat Residences, and most recently Cipriani Residences and One Park Tower. Charismatic & results oriented, Kari is always looking for the best strategy to achieve sales goals at hand and at the same time seeking to bring out the best of the sales teams she oversees. 

Born in New York, and arriving to Miami to attend University in 1990, Harvey Daniels has dedicated his career in real estate development sales with over 25 years of on-site experience throughout South Florida.   Specializing in the most exclusive arena, Harvey has represented some of the most prestigious residential developments in Miami & Fort Lauderdale.  Most recently he was the Sales Director of One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects where he had record-breaking sales in the market.   Over the scale of his long career, he has been involved in and responsible for over $2 billion in developments.  He proudly just joined Fortune International Group as the Director of Sales for The Ritz Carlton Residences, Pompano Beach, scheduled to launch in September 2021.   He was previously with One Sotheby’s International Realty for 14 years as Vice President of Development.

Ms. Palma joined FIR in 1997 as an assistant manager and advanced quickly toward the chief management role that she holds today, wherein she supervises several offices, including 1390 Brickell, Icon Brickell, and Sunny Isles. In a recent year, the overall team that Ms. Palma supervises was responsible for more than half a billion dollars in sales. She has been integral to the senior team in promoting excellence and integrity – key attributes of the Fortune International Group brand.

Today, Ms. Palma is responsible for recruiting new agents, supervising day-to-day operations, and assisting agents with their transactions, as well as their marketing efforts. Additionally, Ms. Palma drives mutually beneficial relationships with developers to offer the best investment opportunities to her valued clients. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Jones College and is a paralegal.

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1390 Brickell Office