The transition from CTJ Consultoria to a new identity is not merely a rebranding exercise — it is the formalisation of a broader ambition, built from Maputo but designed to operate on a regional and global scale.
In a market where consultancy is still often confined to recommendations, Axis Advisory proposes a more demanding repositioning: connecting strategy and execution, risk and results, vision and measurable impact. With roots in critical sectors of the economy and experience accumulated in major international organisations, its founders advocate for an advisory model committed to tangible value and capable of supporting clients through to implementation. Marcelo Tertuliano, founding partner of the consultancy, and Paulo Silva Pereira, partner at Axis Advisory, defend this clear repositioning away from traditional consulting.
For Marcelo Tertuliano, the evolution of the former CTJ Consultoria can be compared to the growth of a baobab tree: “In its early stage of life, it is merely a small trunk, growing with all the care a young plant requires. But it knows it is a baobab and that one day it will need to be replanted and root itself in the ground in order to become larger and grow vigorously.”
It is precisely this “replanting” phase that the consultancy is currently experiencing, supported by a trajectory spanning more than 30 years from its founder, who has worked at organisations such as Arthur Andersen, Vale and Vulcan, accumulating experience in large-scale industrial and financial environments. “The opportunity to support the growth of the business sector in Mozambique, as well as beyond its borders, through CTJ, was decisive in my decision to embrace the country as my new home,” he notes.
“The country remains a market with enormous potential, but where disciplined execution will be the key differentiating factor.”
The shift to Axis Advisory, Paulo Silva Pereira stresses, is structural: “When I joined CTJ, I realised everything was highly intentional, highly formal and strongly corporate in nature. That institutional maturity, the corporatisation process we are undergoing and the international ambition required alignment between identity and vision.”
The new name reflects that ambition, positioning the company as an “Axis” connecting strategy, capital, transformation and execution. The consultancy currently organises its operations around three main areas — Strategy, Business Development and Enterprise Services — operating in sectors such as mineral resources, energy, technology, financial services, agribusiness and logistics, with a presence in markets such as Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Botswana, as well as partnerships in Portugal, Brazil and the United States.
Paulo Silva Pereira’s career path, having returned to Mozambique in 2012 to lead Accenture before later joining FNB, reinforces this global outlook. “We always joked that one day we would dream big and build something together, something of our own, from Mozambique to the world, with the same quality standards found anywhere on the globe.”
For the partner, that ambition is now even more concrete: “Maputo or New York can compete equally in certain services and market vision. And we can work for both. Why not?”
Value, Impact and Constant Challenges
At the core of Axis Advisory’s positioning is an approach focused on tangible value. “Our focus is on generating value for the client,” explains Marcelo Tertuliano. “We do not work based on billable hours, but on the effort required to generate impact. Our dedication always follows what the project demands, without surprises.”
In many cases, he adds, the firm adopts hybrid remuneration models, combining fixed components with success fees, within a logic of risk-sharing and alignment with results.
That logic is reflected in the challenges clients bring to the consultancy. From mergers and corporate integration processes — where “it is essential to ensure that the new entity achieves the planned return on investment,” as Paulo Silva Pereira notes — to cash management optimisation and financial architecture, in a context marked by liquidity constraints and limited access to foreign currency.
“This is currently a highly relevant and critical challenge for several organisations,” confirms Marcelo Tertuliano, highlighting that Axis has been working with multinationals under shared-risk and shared-value models.
The company is also involved in supporting multinational corporations seeking to enter Mozambique, as well as defining expansion strategies for already established businesses. This includes everything from identifying local partners to integrating into critical value chains and replacing imports with local production.
At the same time, Axis is working on digital transformation initiatives, particularly in implementing “hybrid solutions combining human work and artificial agents,” which, according to the partners, will have a direct impact on operational efficiency and customer service quality.
Structural Opportunities
In a global context marked by volatility, pressure on margins and the constant need for adaptation, Marcelo Tertuliano identifies a set of structural opportunities.
“We see clear opportunities in sectors such as energy, natural resources, logistics and financial services, as well as in regional integration and digital transformation, which is still at an early stage in many sectors.”
Paulo Silva Pereira reinforces this view, highlighting Mozambique’s potential: “The country remains a market with enormous potential, but where disciplined execution will be the key differentiating factor.”
For the executive, the current global context may even work in Mozambique’s favour, at a time when the world is searching for alternative supply sources in areas such as energy, food and fertilisers.
Axis Advisory’s proposition is therefore based on a break from the traditional consulting model.
“What matters is tangible value — measured, delivered and implemented,” says Paulo Silva Pereira. “And a commitment to payment only if that value is delivered.”
Marcelo Tertuliano adds that the firm combines advisory with “activation, structuring and execution,” using proprietary methodologies, senior teams and specialised international partnerships. “We do not use templates. We co-create solutions and adapt global innovation to each client’s reality.”
This ability to adapt and execute in complex environments is seen as one of the team’s main differentiators, combining international experience with deep knowledge of the local context.
“We have a strong ability for contextual analysis, rigour and market comparability,” underlines Paulo Silva Pereira, adding that the firm works with partners in areas such as technology, human capital development and business internationalisation.
The long-term objective is clear: to position Axis Advisory as a catalyst for value within the national and regional business ecosystem.
Marcelo Tertuliano describes that ambition directly: “We want to be the reference point for the entrepreneur who wakes up in the middle of the night with a concern or an opportunity and has no one to speak to. We want them to know they can count on us.”
And he summarises the ambition driving him by returning to the original metaphor: “We want to be that baobab tree — born in Mozambique, bearing fruit and reaching every part of the world.”
The new name reflects an ambition, positioning the company as an “Axis” connecting strategy, capital, transformation and execution.
Text by Pedro Cativelos • Photography by Mariano Silva
