Chairman of the Agency for Development and Cohesion

José Santos Soeiro

Born in Lisbon, December 26^th 1951, he earned a degree in Agronomy from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia at the Technical University of Lisbon, in 1976. He has held key positions in public office since 1987. He has been chairman of the Financial Institute for Regional Development since 2007. He is now chairman of the Agency for Development and Cohesion as well. He was head of the Supervisory Committee of the 3^rd Community Support Framework, director-general of Regional Development, and manager of Community Initiative Interreg III. From 1979 to 2001, he worked in the Ministry of Agriculture, having been chairman of the Vine and Wine Institute; vice-chairman of the Institute for Agricultural Markets and the Agri-food Industry; assistant to the Secretary of State for Food, and to the Secretary of State for Agricultural Markets and Food Quality; and vice-chairman, as well as head of division and second class engineer, of the Institute for Food Quality. He was also vice-chairman of the Portuguese Association for Quality Assurance, vice-chairman of the board and non-executive director of Companhia das Lezírias, SA; and a monitor at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia.