João has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, having held a variety of leadership roles in the Downstream, Upstream and Integrated Gas businesses, Corporate Strategy & Portfolio, Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions, and New Business Development.

He has worked and lived in Europe, Oceania, Asia and North America. Joao holds a Licenciatura in Aerospace Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, and a Global Executive MBA from INSEAD.

Since 2024, Joao is the CEO of Shell Italy E&P S.p.A. and Country Chairfor  Shell Group of Companies in Italy based in Rome. In his current role he manages the integrated portfolio, brand and reputation of Shell in Italy, a country where Shell is present for over 100 years.

João joined Shell in the UK in 2002 having worked in a variety of operational and commercial roles in the Downstream business. In 2006, he was appointed Regional Head of Business Development, based in London, responsible to develop and implement new fuels supply chains and marketing strategies for Shell’s European Premium fuels portfolio (V-Power, Shell Racing Fuels, Gas-to-Liquids).

From 2009 to 2012, João assumed the position of Trading, Supply and Logistics Manager for Shell in Oceania based in Melbourne. He was responsible to manage the assets and supply chain (including trading, maritime, road and rail operations) in Australia and regional optimization of hydrocarbon imports/exports with Asia. He was also the company representative in the National Fuels Supply Emergency Committee at Commonwealth and State level and has led Shell’s emergency response to Cyclone Yaris (category 5 hurricane, like Katrina in USA), Brisbane floods (over 70 towns and 200,000 people affected) and Victoria/NSW catastrophic fires.

In 2012, he was appointed Senior Strategy Advisor based in The Hague accountable to support the CEO, CFO, Executive Committee and the Board to define the strategy and aspired portfolio for Shell. Later, as Group Portfolio Manager, he supported the Executive Committee and the Board in transformational portfolio decisions such as the BG acquisition in 2015.

In 2016, João was appointed General Manager Commercial & Business Development for the Deepwater division in USA and Mexico based in Houston, Texas. He was also member of the Country Leadership team. In late 2021, he became Global Vice President for Acquisitions, Divestments and New Business Development based in London and member of the Group M&A Leadership team.

Prior to 2002, João has worked in the IN+ Centre for Innovation Technology & Policy Research, as a researcher in the European project Low NOxIII. He also collaborated with the Observatório de Prospectiva da Engenharia e Tecnologia (OPET), and was a founding member and President of the Portuguese Entrepreneurship Agency, a non-profit organization focused in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.

João Santos Rosa has been a member of the Portuguese Diaspora Council since May 2024.