Secretary-General of Fórum Oceano – the Portuguese Ocean Economy Association, the leading body of the country’s maritime cluster, representing companies and organizations across fisheries, aquaculture, nautical industries, offshore energy, ports and marine technology. He holds a PhD in History, Defense and International Relations from ISCTE and the Military Academy, and an Executive Master’s in Sustainable Energy Systems from the MIT Portugal Program. He previously served as Director-General of Maritime Policy at the Ministry of the Sea, and has been a member of the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s Expert Group on Natural Gas and a technical member of NATO’s Energy Security Working Group. He mentors blue economy startup acceleration programs, including the Sustainable Ocean Accelerator and the European Commission’s BlueInvest Platform.