Rui Moreira is the Mayor of the city of Porto (Portugal) since 2013. His election sparked the interest of media worldwide, as he was the first independent candidate to be elected in a major European city, drawing a wave of support from a movement of citizens across the political spectrum.
He was re-elected in October 2017 and in October 2021 for a new and final four years term.
Prior to that, he was a successful entrepreneur and investor with interests in different sectors, from transports and shipping to agroindustry and finance.
He is an opinion leader in Portugal and an influential voice on different areas. As a columnist and commentator in different TV channels and newspapers, he has been a leading advocate of the interests of the city of Porto and of the North of Portugal. He is the author of various books on economic, political and other contemporary issues – never shying away from controversy and from an informed and staunch defense of the values and principles he believes in.
From 2001 to 2013 he was the President of the Commercial Association of Porto, the oldest and one of the most prestigious entrepreneurial organizations in Portugal. He also served in several boards and advisory bodies in private companies, universities and in numerous cultural, social, and trade-related non-profit organizations. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and events.
He has lived and worked in Denmark, Norway, Germany and in the UK (where he also graduated summa cum laude in Business Administration from the University of Greenwich).
He has been an international yachtsman for several decades, having won many international competitions in that sport.
