Ambassador José Manuel Pinto Teixeira was born in Mozambique on August 14, 1952. He graduated from Instituto Superior Técnico and completed postgraduate studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He began his career in international cooperation projects in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In 1987, he joined the External Relations Service of the European Commission, where he held prominent roles in development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and diplomacy.

He represented the European Union as Ambassador to Belarus, Cape Verde, North Macedonia, Mozambique, and Ukraine, and also led humanitarian missions in the Great Lakes region, the Caucasus, and the former Yugoslavia. In Brussels, he served as Head of Sector at ECHO and Head of Division for Pan-African Relations, Southern Africa, and PALOP (Portuguese-speaking African countries).

After retiring from the European Union, he served as Vice President of the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and coordinated the Democratic Development Assistance Project in Jordan (2018–2019). Since 2019, he has been the resident Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Cape Verde and non-resident Ambassador in Mozambique.

José Manuel Pinto Teixeira has been Portugal’s World Advisor since October 2025.