Fernando Freire de Sousa
Born in Porto (1953).
Degree in Economics (FEP-UP, 1970/75), PhD in Economics and International Finance (U. Paris I, 1984) and International Economic Relations (UP, 1986), Holder of the Aggregate Degree in Economics (ISEG-UTL, 1999).
Lecturer and Professor at FEP, his most constant activity (1975/2010) throughout almost five decades of his professional career.
He was, among other roles, Associate Researcher at CEPII (Paris, 1981/83), Director and Board member at the BPA Group (1984/96), Secretary of State for Competitiveness and Internationalization (XIII Constitutional Government-António Guterres, 1996/ 97), President of the Fund for the Internationalization of Portuguese Companies (FIEP, 1998/2003), member of corporate bodies in several companies and institutions (2004/2016) and President of CCDRN – the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (2016/2020).
He was a Professor at several Higher Education Institutions (Universidade Católica Portuguesa; ISEE and Porto Business School; IESF; Universidade Portucalense) and actively collaborated, as an expert and consultant in the regional and European fields and internationalization and international management, with the Ministry of Finance (1986/87) and the State Secretariat for Foreign Trade (1991), the EU Economic and Social Committee (1990/91), the AEP and other business associations (from 1989 to the present), the ICEP (2000/02) and the Innovation Agency (2007/11) and numerous companies and business groups; He was also a member, representing Portugal, of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the European Commission (2008/12).
He is currently President of the General Council of the University of Porto, as well as Vice-President of the Fundação Casa da Música and member of the Advisory Council of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto and Católica Porto Business School.
He is the author or co-author of several national and international works, papers, studies and reports and of various regular collaborations in the media and blogosphere.
Awarded by the President of the Portuguese Republic with the Grand Cross of the Order of Infante D. Henrique (2006).
