With a consolidated career spanning over 30 years, Paulo Varela is a senior executive with extensive international experience in leadership roles across the oil and gas, infrastructure, industry, and telecommunications sectors. Since 2015, he has been serving as the Managing Director of Galp Mozambique, the country where he currently resides.
Graduated in Law with a specialization in Business and Corporate Law from the University of Coimbra, he also holds complementary training in Strategic Management and Value Creation from the School of Business and Economics at the Portuguese Catholic University, as well as from the Advanced Management Program (PADE) at AESE Business School in Lisbon. Additionally, he has completed several postgraduate courses in Marketing, Management, and Business Administration.
Throughout his professional journey, he has stood out for leading expansion and consolidation processes of business operations in various regions, with particular focus on Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. For over two decades, he held management positions at Visabeira SGPS SA Group, operating in sectors such as telecommunications, energy, construction, real estate, and tourism, in countries including Mozambique, Angola, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, France, and Germany. Between 2009 and 2014, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the historic Vista Alegre Atlantis S.A.
In the associative sphere, he served as President of the Board of the Portugal-Angola Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIPA) from 2014 to 2017 and has been a member of the Portuguese Diaspora Council since May 2024. He currently holds the position of President of the General Assembly of CCIPA and Vice-President of the General Council of the Portugal-Mozambique Chamber of Commerce.
Paulo Varela, CEO of Galp Mozambique
Throughout his career, he has also served on the boards of prestigious institutions and companies, such as Portugal Telecom, Banco Único (Mozambique), PCI – Science and Innovation Park of Aveiro, Gevisar SA, among others.
Recognised for his strategic leadership and for promoting economic and business development initiatives, Paulo Varela has played an active role in strengthening institutional relations and fostering the growth of the private sector, particularly within the Portuguese-speaking world.
