Leandro was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1982. He graduated in advertising in 2003 and worked in the field until 2011 when he decided to take a sabbatical year droved by his passion for surfing. During this journey, he has lived, worked, and surfed around the globe. Following his path, he decided to improve his skills in another deep-rooted passion: woodworking. He settled in Portugal to obtain certification in Art and Craft in Woodworking, including joinery, wood carving, and marquetry, at the Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation in Lisbon.

     During this time, he also pursued additional studies in shaping wooden surfboards, surfboard design, and hydrodynamics. With the dream of combining his passion for surfing and woodworking into a fulfilling career. After three years of shaping and crafting his own quiver, testing different models, materials, and tools, he refined his shaping techniques, resulting in the birth of Malua.

     Today, at Malua, he is able to blend the art of surfing with the beauty of woodworking, creating wooden surfboards as an eco-friendly alternative to standard foam boards, reducing impact on the environment and contributing to the future of our planet for the next generations.