João Gomes da Silva, Board Member and Chief Commercial Officer at Sogrape. Graduated in Economics by the “Nova School of Business and Economics” and PhD in “Agricultural Economics” by the University of Reading (UK) where he developed his research on International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment in the Food Industries, has a long career in international management in Europe and Latin America, having worked in a wide range of industries ranging Food Retail and Consumer Goods (Jerónimo Martins Group), Textile and Apparel (Triumph International) and more recently Wine (Sogrape). His experience has involved Board, General Management and Operational Management responsibilities, having been involved in the creation and deployment of Strategic Development Plans, International Business Development, Organizational and Strategic Transformation, Brand Positioning and Development, Distribution and Retail Strategy, Change Management and Corporate Governance, including various national and international M&A operations. In his current responsibility with Sogrape, where he joined in 2014 as Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, he is in charge of the national and international Commercial and Distribution management of the largest, most international Portuguese Wine Company, with sales in over 120 markets and distribution operations in 6 countries across 4 continents. He is also a Vice-President of Viniportugal, the organization responsible for the international promotion of Portuguese Wines and the development of the generic brand “Wines of Portugal”. Has lived or worked in Portugal, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, England, Angola and the United States.