Meet our Staff
Philip Schlesinger – Owner / Manager
Phil Schlesinger was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has lived all over the United States as well as in France, Singapore and currently Panama, and has traveled to nearly 30 countries. Phil first came to Panama as a volunteer in the United States Peace Corps, where he helped rural farmers export agricultural products to Miami and Puerto Rico
among other endeavors. Subsequently Phil worked in the sales and marketing department of one of Panama’s biggest developers before starting the Philip James Realty Company in 2006. He has an MBA from INSEAD, one of Europe’s most reputable business schools, and a Masters in Public Affairs focused on Latin American trade and development from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. He was a philosophy and religious studies student as an undergraduate. Philip is also a partner at the Roca Milagro development in Chiriquí, Panama, a 46 hectare residential subdivision, and in In 2012 he started the PTY Trading company with colleagues from Ireland and Brazil, a business he plans to develop further in coming years. In addition to his experience in real estate, Philip has worked as a contractor and consultant for a number of public, private, and non-profit entities, including the National Park Service, the YMCA of San Francisco, Miami-Dade Public Schools, and Kaiser Associates in Washington, D.C. He has lived in Panama now for nearly ten years and has two children with dual citizenship. Pau González Sanchez – Executive Assistant
Pau has worked as Executive Assistant for several years. In addition to being a strong sales producer, Pau prides himself on top-notch customer service and quick response times. He is skilled in all aspects of the real estate sales process in Panama, and has become adept at overcoming the administrative and bureaucratic hurdles that often slow down a real estate closing. He is fully fluent in Spanish and English and lived in the United States for over ten years. Mariela Viera - Administrative Assistant
Mariela Viera was born in Caracas, Venezuela and has a bachelor’s degree in Social Communications from the prestigious Universidad Monteávila. She is fully bilingual and has an advanced stage certificate in English from the Wall Street Institute. Mariela worked in the department of Production and Post-Production in the advertising agency FCB Caracas, before joining the Philip James Realty Company. Mariela is also passionate about music and was the lead singer of a rock band in Caracas, Venezuela for 6 years as well as a radio broadcaster. Olga González - Beach Agent
Olga González is our agent at the beaches! Mostly in the provinces of Coclé and Panamá Oeste. Pablo Garcia – Sales Agent and Personal Assistant
Pablo has worked with Philip James Realty since 2008. He has strong knowledge of the sales process and the local real estate market, and is always a pleasure to work with. Originally from Uruguay, Pablo has lived in Canada, Spain, and currently Panama.
