Carlos Palhares began his career in 1995 in the Automotive Industry, where he held prominent positions at major component suppliers such as Lear Corporation, Yazaki and Simoldes. Throughout this journey, he performed technical and senior leadership roles in executive management, including international experience in the start-up of major manufacturing plants.

In mid-2004, he began his entrepreneurial activity by acquiring a stake in Suleve, a small Portuguese company in the Automotive Industry. He transformed a Portuguese SME with around 100 employees and negative results into a profitable company with more than 500 employees, approximately €20 million in turnover and manufacturing facilities in three countries. He later sold his stake to the Delfingen Group, remaining on its Board of Directors until October 2010 and also joining the French group’s Executive Committee.

In February 2009, he founded Mecwide, a company dedicated to engineering services in the Metalworking Industry, specialising in the Oil & Gas, Mining & Cement, Modular Systems, Industry & Energy, Data Centres and Renewable Energy sectors. Today, Mecwide has a turnover of approximately €150 million, an international presence and around 1,500 employees. Carlos Palhares is its current Chairman of the Board of Directors.

In January 2020, Headvalue, his holding company, acquired 50.1% of FeelViana Sport Hotel, taking on its management jointly with the founding partner. In 2025, FeelViana reached a turnover of €6 million, nearly double that of when Headvalue entered the company. During the same period, Headvalue also acquired 75.5% of M2Bwear, a company specialising in personal protective equipment and uniforms, which owns the iconic Sanjo brand.

Carlos Palhares holds a degree in Industrial Instrumentation Engineering, an MBA from Porto Business School and several executive education qualifications from leading institutions, including Porto Business School, CWC Energy (London), IMD (Switzerland) and IE (Madrid).

In 2010, as part of the “Porto de Futuro” project, sponsored by Porto City Council, he was recognised as a Role Model, and a film was produced about his life journey. In 2012, he was one of four finalists for the Entrepreneurial Award presented by AMBA – Association of MBAs, in London. In 2017, he was honoured as a Successful Entrepreneur from Viana by AND – Associação Aliança de Negócios, and received the Porto Business School Alumni Revelations Award.

He is a mentor at Porto Business School, collaborates regularly with the Business School and has been a Board Member of Sines Tecnopolo since December 2014. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Grupo GFM and is a founding partner of AEMinho, where he served as Vice-President during its first term.

Carlos Palhares currently lives in Darque, where he spent his childhood. He is the father of two daughters, Inês and Joana.