Pablo Marçal

Pablo Henrique Costa Marçal (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpablu ẽj̃ˈʁiki ˈkɔstɐ maʁˈsaw]; born April 18, 1987) is a Brazilian businessman, politician, and digital influencer. He is best known for selling personal development courses on social media. As a member of the Brazilian Labor Renewal Party, he was a candidate for mayor of São Paulo in the 2024 São Paulo mayoral election. Previously, he ran for federal deputy in the 2022 election, but his candidacy was challenged.

Biography

Pablo Henrique Costa Marçal was born on 18 April 1987, in Goiânia, Goiás, the son of a civil servant and a maid. At the age of 18, he began his career as a call center attendant at the now-defunct Brasil Telecom.

After graduating in law, he began working at a family business, until he became a consultant, where he began selling personal development courses on the internet. Marçal became famous for his coaching and his fortune in 2024 reached R$193 million ($35M).

He began to gain prominence in the mass media in 2022, when he led an expedition to Pico dos Marins — one of the highest peaks in the Serra da Mantiqueira — which required the rescue of firefighters due to the exposure of 32 people to life-threatening risks.

São Paulo mayoral campaign

Marçal registered his candidacy to run for mayor of São Paulo in the 2024 São Paulo mayoral election. He campaigned on a right-wing platform, portrayed himself as a political outsider and engaged in contentious rhetoric while criticizing leftist policies. Marçal also proposed an austerity program for the city, trimming "incompetent" workers in the public sector and pledged to promote job creation.