Former European Union Ambassador to the United States, on ONU and United Kingdom
João Vale de Almeida represented the European Union as Ambassador to the United States, the United Nations, and the United Kingdom. Over four decades of a European career, he served as Director-General for External Relations at the European Commission, as the EU Sherpa for the G8 and G20 summits, and as Head of Cabinet to President José Manuel Barroso. In these roles, he was at the center of managing the main international policy dossiers of the first quarter of this century, including the response to the 2008 financial crisis, negotiations with Iran, EU–UK relations post-Brexit, and the joint response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After retiring in 2023, Ambassador João Vale de Almeida was George W. Ball Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He is the author of the book The Divorce of Nations (LeYa/D. Quixote), first published in the United Kingdom (2025). Recognized for his ability to translate high-level geopolitics into strategic clarity, he is a regular commentator in leading international media. He is a non-executive director of Jerónimo Martins SGPS, a trustee of the Oceano Azul Foundation, and a member of several advisory boards.