António Manuel Frade Saraiva has been President of the Portuguese Red Cross since 2023.

He is one of the most influential people in Portuguese society and currently specializes in Corporate Diplomacy and Associative, to which he has devoted more than 40 years of his life.

António Saraiva embodies the concept of the self-made man. He began his professional life at the age of 17 as a metal worker at Lisnave, the largest ship repairer in Portugal.

Whilst working, he completed a course at the Industrial School and later entered the Instituto Superior Técnico, which he did not complete.

He was later Commercial Director at Metalúrgica Luso-Alemã and Chairman of the Board of Metalúrgica Luso-Italiana, S.A.

He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Taguspark, a member of the Board of Directors of the Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional, a member of the Strategic Board of SOFID – Sociedade para o Financiamento do Desenvolvimento, IFIC, S.A. and is also Chairman of the Observatory for the Economy of the Sea.

On an academic level, he is a member of the School Board of ISCSP – Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas (Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences), a member of the Board of Trustees of ISCTE – Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e do Emprego (Higher Institute of Labour and Employment Sciences) and a member of the General Strategic Council of Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (Lusófona University of Humanities and Technologies).

He teaches Corporate Diplomacy at ISCSP – Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas.

He was also awarded the Commendation of the Order of the Infante, and more recently a Doctorate Honoris Causa from Lusófona University.

Between 2010 and 2023, he was President of CIP – Confederação Empresarial de Portugal, the business association with the greatest impact and influence in Portugal.

Member of the Board of Directors