Secretary-general (since 2012) and Secretary to the Board (since 2005). Rui Esgaio joined the Gulbenkian Foundation in 1999 as advisor to the Office of the President, becoming Director of this Office in May 2001 (until 2015). Graduating in Economics from the Catholic University of Portugal and with a post-graduate qualifications in Development and International Cooperation and in Financial Analysis. Also made the Advanced Management Program of INSEAD in 2013. He began his professional career under the auspices of the project “Building the Competitive Advantages of Portugal”, run by Harvard Professor Michael Porter, having also held the post of Assistant to the Secretary of State for Agro-food Production before later serving as Assistant to the Secretary of State for Agricultural Markets and Agro-food Quality.

Director of the President's Office since May 2022 and Director of the Gulbenkian Culture Programme since 2021.

Miguel Magalhães was at the French Delegation of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation from 2011 to 2021, serving as Director from 2017.

He has been working with the Gulbenkian Foundation since 2005, where he was assistant director of the programmes Estado do Mundo [State of the World] (2005-2007), Distância e Proximidade [Distance and Proximity] (2008) and Próximo Futuro [Near Future] (2009 - 2011).

He began his professional career at the S. João National Theatre (1996-2000), where he was assistant to the administrative and financial director, among other duties, and from 2000 to 2003 he was artistic director of the Póvoa Casino.

Magalhães holds a degree in Law (Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto), a Master's in Arts Management (City University, London) and attended the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD business school (Fontainebleau, France).

In parallel, he has developed his activity as a researcher in the area of cultural policies and cultural organisation management. He co-authored “Estratégias para a Cultura da cidade de Lisboa” [“Strategies for Culture of the City of Lisbon”], a study commissioned by the Lisbon City Council to the Dinâmia research centre (ISCTE). He was part of the teaching team for the Performing Arts Management/Production Course at Fórum Dança (Lisbon).

Magalhães was a member of the patronage commission of the Fondation Nationale des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques (now Fondation des Artistes; France) during the biennium 2016-2017, and since 2019 is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fondation Mattei Dogan (France).

Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum since 2021.

Having graduated in  History (1985), specialising in History of Art, from the University of Coimbra, António Filipe Pimentel obtained his Master’s Degree in Cultural and Political History of the Modern Period (1991), from same institution. He completed his doctoral studies in History, specialising in History of Art, also in the University of Coimbra (2003), where he is assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He was Director of the university’s Art History Institute (2005-2009), which he combined with the position of Pro-Rector for Heritage and Tourism (2007-2009).

In 2009/10, he took on the role of Director of the Grão Vasco Museum, in Viseu, and between 2010 and 2019 he was Director of the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon), as well as being Deputy General Director for Cultural Heritage. He was also scientific coordinator of the University of Coimbra’s candidacy for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site status.

Awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for History of Art 1992/94, for the work Arquitectura e Poder, o Real Edifício de Mafra (Architecture and Power, the Royal Building of Mafra), he is a national corresponding academic member of the National Academy of Fine Arts, a corresponding academic member of the Naval Academy and a member of the Scientific Society of the Portuguese Catholic University. He has published more than three hundred titles, in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Brazil.

Director of the Modern Art Centre since 2021

Born and raised in Paris, Benjamin Weil studied art history before moving to New York in 1985, where he worked as Assistant Curator for a major private art collection until 1989. He also attended the Curatorial Training Program of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice (1987), and is an alumnus of the Whitney Independent Study Program (graduating in 1989). He then worked as an independent curator and art critic, publishing regularly in specialized magazines – he also was a New York correspondent for Flash Art International (1992-95). In 1995, he co-founded Ada Web, the first digital studio dedicated to the production of art projects online and was its Artistic Director until 1997. In 1998, he was appointed as Director of the New Media Department at ICA London, before moving in 2000 to San Francisco, to assume the position of Curator of Media Arts at SFMOMA where he was responsible for the collection of Media Arts as well as of an exhibitions and a film program. He also launched a sound art program and commissioned art projects for the museum’s web site.

Weil returned to New York in 2006 to become the Executive Director of Artists Space; he moved back to Europe in 2009 to teach at the IUAV University of Venice, where he directed a research laboratory for doctoral students of visual arts. That year, he was appointed as Artistic Director at Laboral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, a new institution dedicated to the production and presentation of new forms resulting from the creative use of technology (2009-13). In 2014, he became the Artistic Director of Centro Botín (Santander, 2014-20), where he also curated numerous monographic exhibitions, and themed group exhibitions featuring works from the collection of Fundación Botín he was also responsible for during his tenure at Centro Botín.

Aside from regularly lecturing on contemporary art and participating in numerous juries – including the one of the Prince of Asturias Awards (2012 and 2013) – Benjamin Weil has conceptualized and directed H BOX, a video art commissioning and peripatetic exhibition project for Fondation d’entreprise Hermès (2005-11); he also curated Untitled (Orchestral), a site-specific installation by João Onofre at MAAT (Lisbon, 2017), among others.

He joined Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in early 2021 to assume the position of Director of CAM (Centro de Arte Moderna)

Director of the Art Library and Archives, João Vieira began his collaboration with the Foundation as an archives’ consultant in 2001. Between November 2014 and May 2017, he held the position of assistant director of the Gulbenkian Archives.

He graduated in History from the FCSH at Nova University of Lisbon (1982-86) and completed a post-graduate program in Information Science – Archives at the Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon (1987-89).

He began his professional activities as an archivist at the Commission for the Reform and Reinstallation of the National Archives – Torre do Tombo in 1987, before joining the Portuguese Institute of Archives and the General Directorate of the Treasury. As from 1994, he took over responsibility for the management of archival, library, architectural heritage research and inventories issues under the auspices of the General Directorate of National Buildings and Monuments. Between 2007 and 2014, he served as director of SIPA – the Portuguese Architectural Heritage Information System (at Forte de Sacavém ).

He was a consultant on archival matters and projects for a diverse range of public and private entities including: Office of the State Secretary of the Treasury (1993-94); Office of the Ministry of Education (1996-97); Historical Institute of Education (1999-2002); Portuguese Society of Education Sciences /Faculty of Psychological and Education Sciences (1997-2001). He served as an expert to CReSAP – the Commission for Public Administrative Recruitment and Selection (2013-2014). Since 2009, he has been a member of the Scientific Board of the Architect Marques da Silva Institute Foundation at the University of Oporto.
Between 2004 and 2012, he was guest lecturer on the post-graduate and master’s degree programs in Information Science at the Nova University of Lisbon and the University of Évora.
Since 2008, he has collaborated with the International Council on Archives and, following his election, held the functions of Secretary and Chair of the Section on Architectural Records for the four-year periods of 2004-2008 and 2008-2012, respectively. He currently serves as a member of the Editorial Board of COMMA, the International Journal on Archives.

As a speaker, moderator and/or organiser, he has participated in many technical and scientific meetings at the national and international levels, especially on Information Science, architectural and urban heritage and the associated arts. He coordinated and participated in scientific research projects, exhibitions and publications in the aforementioned fields and is the author of multiple studies published on these themes.

Risto Nieminen has been director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Music Service since April 2009. Nieminen holds a Master’s Degree in Musicology and Literature, University of Helsinki and, among other roles, was director of the Finland Radio Symphony Orchestra between 1989 and 1991, and artistic director of IRCAM (Institut de Recherce et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), Georges Pompidou Centre, in Paris, between 1991 and 1996. He sat on the Board of the European Association of Festivals from 1997 to 2001 and in 1998 was awarded the honour of Knight of the Arts and Letters of France. Risto Nieminen took over from Luís Pereira Leal, who had held the post as from 1978.

Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Delegation in Paris, France, since March 2021.

Nuno Vassallo e Silva graduated in History (History of Art elective), received his PhD in History of Art from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Coimbra. Also graduated in the Getty Leadership Institute/ Claremont Graduate University.

Formerly deputy Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Conservator at the S. Roque Museum, served as General-Director of Cultural Heritage and Secretary of State for Culture in the 20th Portuguese Constitutional Government. He is an academic-correspondent of the Portuguese Academy of History.

Author of several studies and exhibitions on Portuguese art and artistic relations with Asia during the Discovery Period, received, in 2013, the Dr. José de Figueiredo Award from the National Academy of Fine Arts of Lisbon.

Luís Jerónimo works as Director at the Gulbenkian Sustainable Development since January 2020.

Joined the Gulbenkian Foundation in 2006 and worked at Uk Branch of the Foundation between 2009 and 2010. Served as Project Manager (2009-2016) and Deputy Director (2017-2018) of Gulbenkian Human Development Programme and was responsible for the portfolio of projects on social innovation and impact investing. In 2019 was Director of the Gulbenkian Integration and Social Cohesion Programme and of the Gulbenkian Sustainability Programme.

It is currently Member of the Board of Directors of the European Venture Philanthropy Association and Non Executive Board Member of MAZE Impact.

Born in 1981, holds a Degree in Philosophy and has completed the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programme in 2013 and the General Management Programme at Judge Business School / University of Cambridge in 2015.

Interim Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch since January 2022.

Louisa has had a long and varied career at the Foundation and since 2010 has pioneered programmes under the UK Branch’s environmental funding pillar. In recent years, this has focused on Valuing the Ocean – supporting new networks and approaches to promote effective engagement on marine protection in collaboration with colleagues in Portugal and the conservation sector. Louisa was instrumental in the establishment of the Marine CoLABoration group. She sits on a number of advisory groups including for the UN Decade for Ocean Science and Sustainable Development and the UK’s Ocean Literacy Working Group.

Louisa was Secretary to the Trustees for the Saint Sarkis Charitable Trust (also created by Calouste Gulbenkian) from 2003-13 and has a background in communications, publishing and education. Early work for the Foundation included production of the art and environment anthology, Wild Reckoning, and of Saudade: An anthology of fado poetry with original translations by the leading names in English poetry today. Past roles include teaching in Japan and working for the Japan National Tourist Organisation. Louisa studied English at Cambridge and is a published poet. She has been a judge for the Koestler Awards and edited Brittle Star magazine for new writers for many years.

Razmik Panossian assumed the post of Director of the Armenian Communities Department in February 2013. Razmik Panossian is the author of The Armenians: From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars (Columbia University Press/Hurst & Co., 2006). He received his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His thesis won the prestigious Lord Bryce Prize for Best Dissertation in Comparative and International Politics in the UK (2001) granted by Britain’s Political Studies Association. He received his MA from York University in Toronto, Canada, and his BA (honours) from McGill University in Montreal. Panossian has taught at the London School of Economics and at the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) on the subjects of nationalism, ethnic conflict, post-Soviet transition/democratisation, and comparative politics. In 2004 he assumed the position of Director of Policy, Programmes and Planning at the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, a Canadian federal institution devoted to the promotion of democracy and human rights. He managed the Centre’s international programming in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. His work took him to countries as diverse as Afghanistan, China, Haiti, Colombia, Egypt, Morocco and Congo. Between 2010 and 2012 Panossian worked as an international consultant, including at UNDP in New York. He has delivered numerous lectures and conference papers throughout the world, has participated in Turkish-Armenian workshops and the Armenia-Diaspora conferences. He has published many academic articles on Armenian national identity and nationalism, as well as on Armenia-diaspora relations. Razmik was born in Lebanon and immigrated to Canada at the age of 12. He has lived in English and French Canada as well as the UK.

Manager of the Cidadania Ativa Programme since January 2013. With a degree in Economic Sciences by the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), he was a professor at the Catholic University of Portugal between 1980 and 1984. In 1979, he joined the negotiation team for Portugal’s accession to the European Union. In 1986 he was appointed as Deputy Director for Regional Development and then Director General up to 1995, and during this period he was responsible for the management of the ERDF and Cohesion Fund in Portugal, as well as for the coordination of the implementation of the Structural Funds. In early 1995 he moved to private consultancy on regional planning and development and on EU structural funds, working in Portugal and in nine Eastern Europe countries. He has published several books on these subjects in Portugal and abroad. He was a consultant to the Portuguese authorities, the European Commission, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He was awarded the level of Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1994.

Maria Hermínia Cabral de Oliveira was born in Luanda, in 1963. She is graduated in Economics from the University of Porto’s Faculty of Economics in 1985 before completing a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation and Development at the Higher Institute of Economics and Management, the Technical University of Lisbon in 1997. Beginning her professional career in 1985 at the Coordination Commission for the North Region, in the Studies and Planning Division (fishing sector), she then joined the North Region Hydraulic Resource Integrated Projects Management team. She has lectured at the University of the Minho (Industrial Cost Analysis) and the Faculty of Economics at the University of Porto (Cost Accountancy) between 1985 and 1988. Between 1988 and 1991, Maria Hermínia served as the Assistant State Secretary for Agriculture. In 1991, was nominated Cooperation Attaché at the Embassy of Portugal to Angola. Between 1993 and 1995, she was assistant to the State Secretaries for the Environment and for Planning and Regional Development. She was furthermore consultant on European Affairs in the Portuguese Parliament between 1997 and 2002.

Between 2002 and 2003, she was Head of Office for the State Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and, between 2003 and 2004, Vice-President of the North Region Coordination and Development Commission. Between 2004 and 2005, Maria Hermínia served as Assistant State Secretary for Regional Development in the 15th Constitutional Government and manager of the Operational Health Program (Healthcare XXI). Awarded the Portuguese Aid Institute’s prize for the “Best International Development and Cooperation Master’s Degree Student” in 1997, she was also a member of the “New North” Award Jury for the North Operational Program in 2010 and 2011. Maria Hermínia Cabral was the executive coordinator of both the Gulbenkian Environment (2007-2011) and Advanced Healthcare Training Programs (2008-2009). Currently she is the Director of the Gulbenkian Program Partnerships for the Development.

Mónica Bettencourt Dias is group leader at IGC since 2006. With a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology by the University College London (UK), Mónica also holds a post graduate degree in Science Communication by the Birkbeck College London. She was awarded two grants from the European Research Council in 2010 and 2015 and was also elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).

Responsible of the Gulbenkian Scholarships since 2021.

Head of the Human Resources department since September 2002, Ana Maria Garrido Rijo da Silva was born in 1961 and graduated in Economics and Business Management from the Catholic University of Portugal, having undertaken post graduate study in Actuarial Sciences at the same institution. In 1992, she completed her MPhil in Business Studies at the University of Warwick. Between 1984 and 1988, she was Assistant to the Management Department at her alma mater, where she also chairs the subjects within the fields of behavioural studies and human resources. In 1991, she was a guest lecturer at the Warwick Business School. Throughout the 1990s, Maria Garrido Rijo da Silva was responsible for coordinating and managing various degree subjects and scientific fields at institutions connected to the Catholic University of Portugal, including the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences, the University Institute of Social Development and the Faculty of Human Sciences. She also held various consultancy roles and was member of the Commission for the Reorganisation of Tax Service (1997-1998) and the Commission for Drafting the Organic Law for the Ministry of Justice (1999). As a member of the “European Summer School for Advanced Management” (1992-1995) Consortium, she organised the organisation’s 5th program that took place in June 1993. She has coordinated the post graduate studies in Human Resource Management at the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences since 1995. She has been Director of the Recursos Humanos journal since 1999. Ana Maria Garrido Rijo da Silva joined the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2000 and was appointed to run the Human Resource department.

Gonçalo Leónidas Rocha was born in Lisbon in 1966. He has a Management degree from Lisbon’s Catholic University and holds a PhD in Finance from Nova School of Business and Economics. He worked as director of the Lisbon Stock Market, general director of the bank Caixa Económica Comercial e Industrial, director of Banco Cisf and Cisf Dealer, director of RTP, member of the Senior board of Millennium bcp and as a partner at the consultant Roland Berger. He has also been director of CTT (the post office), Banco Postal (bank), Previsão (pension funds), Multicert (digital certification), Porto TV (television) and President of the Board of Directors of Payshop (mobile phone and invoice payment services) and Telepost (printing & finishing of invoices). Since March 2014, Gonçalo Leónidas Rocha serves as Finance and Investment Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He was a Board Member of Partex Oil & Gas on behalf of the shareholder Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He is Assistant Professor at the NOVA School of Business and Economics and at the Lisbon MBA.

Director of the Auditing and Risk Management Department since October 2021.

He joined the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2019, to support the creation of this new department.

Having graduated in Economics from the University of Algarve, he is completing his master studies in Public and Business Auditing, in Coimbra Business School.

Professionally, he acted in several areas: finance, accounting, fiscal policy, management control, internal auditing and risk management. In national and transnational environments and in different sectors, such as retail, industry, or the 3rd sector.

Throughout the different roles assumed, he had the opportunity to consolidate and restructure financial and control departments, as well as to support the implementation of internal auditing and risk management functions (areas).

Director of the Strategy and Planning Office since 2019. Director of the Gulbenkian Sustainability Program since 2018.

Economics degree and law degree, respectively in Faculty of Economics and in Faculty of Law at Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

Between 2007 and 2012 worked in energy planning at EDP, Energias de Portugal, developing and coordinating projects in the areas of Energy Markets, Regulation, Market and Operations Risk, Renewable Energies, ERoEI, Assets Valuation, Energy Policy.

Subsequently worked in strategic and technical area of Access to Energy for Development (A2E) at EDP Foundation, and also as a consultant and trainer in many institutions of social intervention and entrepreneurship.

Since 2014 works at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, providing strategic support to the Board of Trustees, and in the coordination and supervision of projects in the areas of health, human development, sustainability and social innovation.

He was Director and organizer of several volunteering projects, and since 2016 is Member of the Board of ACEGE – Christian Association of Business Executives.

In what concerns with the professional level, his great aspiration is to apply his skills and experience in the promotion of the common good, whether in the area of the State, whether in the research field, or in the social area of companies and organizations.

Director of the Gulbenkian Central Services Department since March 2023.

Ana Maduro holds a degree in Law and a Post-Graduation in Administrative Litigation, both from the University of Lisbon, and attended the Executive Education Management Program: Developing Women Leaders in University Administration, by the University of California Los Angeles, UCLA Anderson School of Management.

She was Vice-Rector (2021 – 2023) and Administrator of the University of Lisbon (2013 – 2022).

During the same period, she was Coordinator of the of the Central Services Legal Office and a member of the University’s Management Board and Senate.

Since 2019 she was a member of the Management Committee of the Sino-Portuguese Joint School, in Shanghai, a non-profit Chinese school of the University of Shanghai.

Since June 2018, she was a member of the General Assembly of Humane (Head of European University Management & Administration Network), and was elected to the Humane Executive Committee, representing Portugal, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus, since 2019.

Between 2010 and 2013, she was Coordinator of the Rector’s Office of the Technical University of Lisbon and member of the Management Board of the Rectory and Social Services.

She has been Head of the Legal Office (2009 – 2010) and Head of the Human Resources Department of the same institution (2008 e 2009).

She worked as a legal adviser at the Department of Modernization and Audit of the Ministry of Justice and at the Office of the President of the Supreme Court of Portugal as legal adviser.

Elisabete Caramelo was born in Lisbon on 28th May 1963. After graduating in Media Studies from Lisbon’s Nova University, she became a journalist for the following eleven years. Her professional career began at Agência Noticiosa Portuguesa, with articles published in various newspapers and magazines as well as television appearances. It was to be radio that defined this stage of her career. Following a six-month professional training program in “Radio Journalism”, Elisabete Caramelo was a founding member of the TSF radio station where she progressed to become Senior Editor before leaving to join the Presidency of the Republic in 1996. She spent the following decade as media consultant to President of the Republic, Dr. Jorge Sampaio.

Chief Marketing and Digital Officer since January 2016. Diretor of the Marketing, IT and Digital Transformation department since May 2018.

From 2004 to 2015, held various positions at Portugal Telecom, namely Investor Relations Officer (2004-2008), Chief of Staff to the CEO and Head of Strategy (2008-2014), Executive Board Member of PT Investimento Internacionais (2011-2014), and Member of the Executive Management Committee of PT Portugal responsible for the Digital Transformation Unit (2014-2015).

From 1996 to 2003, worked in the financial market as Deputy Director of the research department at Banco Finantia (1996-1999), Fund Manager at BPI Fundos (1999-2000), Head of Equity Research at BCP Investimento (2001-2003). During this period, covered several sectors, including telecommunications, utilities, pulp and paper.

Nuno Prego has a degree in Economics from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and is a CFA charterholder.

Chief Legal Officer and Senior Advisor to the President, since may 2022, is also President of the Foundation’s Privacy Committee.

Legal Counsel, between March 2014 and April 2022, he was also Director of the President’s Office between January 2015 and April 2022.

Having graduated in law from the University of Coimbra Faculty of Law in 1999, he began collaborating with the Foundation in 2000 serving as Assistant to the President’s Office. He also participated in the Northern Rock Foundation training programme in the United Kingdom in 2003, the Marshall Memorial Fellowship run by the German Marshall Fund of the United States in 2004 and in the Tällberg Emerging Leaders Programme, at the Tällberg Foundation in Sweden in 2006. 1st phase of the PhD program at the Faculty of Law of the Nova University of Lisbon, attended the Kellogg | Católica Advanced Management Program in 2014 and the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at INSEAD, in 2016.

He lectured Fiscal Law for Non-Governmental Organisations at the School of Economics and Management, at the Catholic University of Portugal in Oporto between 2006 and 2007. He is the author and co-author of diverse publications about the Laws of Foundations and Non-Profit Organisations including Sector Não Lucrativo – Colectânea de Legislação das Organizações da Sociedade Civil, Catholic University of Portugal (2006), with Raquel Campos Franco, Fundações e Direito da União Europeia: Perspectivas de evolução, in the Commemorative Studies on the 10th anniversary of the Nova University of Lisbon Faculty of Law, Almedina, 2008, with Emílio Rui Vilar, and Defining the Portuguese Foundation Sector, in Developments in Foundation Law in Europe, Springer, 2014. More recently coordinated Portugal’s entry in the Comparative Highlights of Foundation Laws: The Operating Environment for Foundations in Europe (2021), from PHILEA.