The selection of the board members for the Cultural Heritage was confirmed by an official order published today in the Diário da República and signed by the Minister of Culture, Margarida Balseiro Lopes. This decision takes effect from July 24.
Researcher João Soalheiro was appointed as the president of the board in July 2024 by the former Minister of Culture, Dalila Rodrigues, replacing architect João Carlos dos Santos.
The appointment was on an interim basis, and João Soalheiro applied for the position in the public competition held by the Commission for Recruitment and Selection for Public Administration (CReSAP) in September 2024. The government has now confirmed his selection.
The same process applied to Ana Catarina Sousa, the historian who serves as vice-president of Cultural Heritage. She was appointed at the same time and under similar conditions as João Soalheiro, also applying for the CReSAP competition.
The career path of manager Filipe Campos Silva differs. He was named vice-president of the organization in April this year, also on an interim basis, filling the position of Ângelo Silveira, who requested to step down.
Filipe Campos Silva also applied for the CReSAP competition and was appointed by the current Minister of Culture.
João Soalheiro, Ana Catarina Sousa, and Filipe Campos Silva have been appointed to the board for a five-year term.
In 2024, João Soalheiro’s initial months leading the Cultural Heritage were controversial due to an anonymous complaint from employees accusing him of allegedly authoritarian and intimidating behavior.
The General Inspectorate of Cultural Activities opened an investigation into Soalheiro’s workplace conduct, which was eventually dismissed due to a lack of “evidence of any action or directive against the law.”
The public institute Cultural Heritage is a new organization, established from the restructuring of the former Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage completed in January 2024.
The dissolution of that directorate-general also led to the creation of the public enterprise entity Museums and Monuments of Portugal, currently led by Alexandre Pais.
