Gustavo Madeira takes office as head of Portugal's Mobility and Transport Institute

Leadership transition at IMT

Gustavo Alves Madeira took office on 1 October 2026 as the president of the directive council of Portugal's Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT). The appointment, published on 30 September in the official gazette Diário da República, placed Madeira at the head of the national transport regulator in a temporary substitution capacity. Madeira replaces outgoing president João Jesus Caetano at the helm of the public institute. The appointment coincided with Madeira's formal dismissal from his position as chief of staff to the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz. Pinto Luz granted the release at Madeira's request while issuing a formal commendation in the official gazette praising his performance in government.

Restructuring and regulatory goals

The leadership change followed an internal restructuring of the IMT, which took effect in early September 2026 under a government decree. The executive updated the regulatory framework to modernize transport management across Portugal and adapt to technical shifts in mobility. In the decree establishing the new structure, the government detailed the primary objectives of the reorganization.

With the new organic structure, the intention is to provide the IMT with a structure with greater capacity to, through the pursuit of its duties, support the development of a mobility and transport system that is more intermodal, decarbonized and digitalized, allowing a better adaptation to global transformations that impact the sector.

The new directive council will operate on a temporary substitution basis until permanent positions are filled through an open competitive recruitment process administered by the Public Administration Recruitment and Selection Commission (CRESAP). Minister Pinto Luz justified the immediate appointments in an order dated 28 September, stating they were necessary to ensure the normal operation of the service.

Board composition and ministry appointments

Alongside Madeira, the ministerial order designated four other members to complete the directive council of the transport authority. Mónica Mira d'Andrade, who previously directed the public procurement department as well as the people and logistics department at Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML), was appointed vice-president. The three appointed board members are Francisco Figueira Pereira Moitinho de Almeida, formerly an advisor to the Secretary of State for Infrastructure; Teresa Isabel Martins Lopes Marchão, formerly a consultant in the regulation, supervision, and certification department of the National Security Center; and Pedro Miguel Guerreiro da Silva, who was reappointed to his existing post.

To fill the vacancy at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, Pinto Luz designated Rui Figueiredo Ribeiro as his new chief of staff on 30 September. Ribeiro previously worked as chief of staff to the Secretary of State for Internal Administration and served as a legal advisor to both the CDS-PP parliamentary group and the Lisbon City Council. Ribeiro had already been serving as deputy and acting chief of staff to Pinto Luz since August.

Professional background

Madeira holds an academic degree in business management, with subsequent specialization in enterprise information systems and management. Before his appointment as chief of staff during both the 24th and 25th Constitutional Governments starting in April 2024, he built his professional career in the utility sector. He previously served as general director of the municipal water company Águas de Santarém. His term at the IMT begins as the agency implements its reorganized regulatory responsibilities.