Jos Manuel Barroso

Jos \u00e9 Manuel Barroso, Chairman of Goldman Sachs International, joined Goldman Sachs International in 2016 after ending his illustrious political careers in the European Union and the Portuguese government. In 1999, Barroso was elected as the President of the Portuguese Social Democratic Party and became the leader of the opposition party. In 2002, he was elected as the Prime Minister of Portugal and was appointed as the President of the European Commission in 2004. Barroso served two consecutive terms as Prime Minister and played an important role in passing the Lisbon Treaty, responding to the financial crisis, and expanding EU member states. From 2002 to 2014, the number of EU member states increased from 15 to 28. During his tenure as Prime Minister, he saved public financial expenses, promoted the privatization of Portuguese state-owned enterprises, and attempted to improve the relationship between the European Union and the United States. Barroso excels in diplomacy, and even the opposition party appreciates his outstanding performance as Portuguese Foreign Minister. His interest in foreign policy has been formed from a very early age and has always accompanied his political career. Barroso studied law and political science in Lisbon, Florence, and New York before graduating with economics and sociology at the University of Geneva. He served as an assistant professor at the University of Lisbon, with a focus on international politics; Later, he conducted research in the Department of Political Science at Georgetown University in Geneva and Washington, D.C., and obtained a Ph.D. in philosophy. After returning to Portugal, he served as the head of the Department of International Relations at the University of Porto since 1980. On June 29, 2004, the European Council nominated Barroso as the President of the European Commission, and on July 22 of the same year, the nomination was passed in the European Parliament elections. On July 9, 2009, the European Council once again nominated Barroso as the candidate for the presidency of the European Commission from 2009 to 2014. In 2012, Barroso won the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the European Union and jointly delivered an acceptance speech with the President of the European Council. Barroso is a visiting professor at Georgetown University, a visiting professor of international economic policy at Princeton University, and a policy researcher at Woodrow Wilson College.