Diogo da Silveira appointed Chairman of Galp Distribuição

Diogo da Silveira was appointed Chairman of Galp Gás Natural Distribuição (GGND), an appointment that results from the company’s acquisition by Allianz Capital Partners. Gabriel Sousa will continue as Chairman of the Executive Committee.

Following this operation between both companies, GGND elected Diogo da Silveira, former CEO of Navigator, as Chairman of the board of directors, GGND said in a statement this Thursday. The decision was taken by GGND’s shareholders last Friday, while the role of Chairman of the Executive Committee will continue to be held by Gabriel Sousa, who has led the company since 2015.

With the entry of Allianz Capital Partners as majority shareholder, the appointment of Diogo da Silveira marks a “new cycle” in GGND, which “will continue the strategies it has been implementing”. The company thus intends to “strengthen its autonomy, reinforce its position in promoting decarbonization and solutions for energy transition, emphasizing the role of gas infrastructure and sustainability.”

Diogo da Silveira graduated from the École Centrale de Lille in France and has an MBA from INSEAD. He started his career at the Japanese industrial group Shin Etsu Handotai, and was also a partner at McKinsey, Executive Vice President at Sonaecom, member of the Board of Directors of Sonae Indústria, and CEO of Oni Telecom in Portugal and Spain. In the last decade, he was also CEO of Açoreana Insurance Company.

Allianz Capital Partners agreed in October 2020 to acquire 75.01% of GGND’s capital, which at the time was held by Galp, the statement said. The transaction was formally concluded on March 24, 2021. The remaining shareholders are the MEET consortium (made up of the Japanese companies Marubeni and TohoGas), with 22.5% of the capital, and Galp, which maintains a 2.49% stake.