Rui has 18 years of experience in the oil and gas sector and in civil and marine construction. He began his career in the oil and gas sector at the Timor Sea Designated Authority (TSDA) and has since held various senior leadership roles at the National Petroleum and Minerals Authority, including Director of the Exploration & Production and Development & Production Directorates. Rui was appointed Timor-Leste’s Commissioner for the Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA) and the Greater Sunrise, and subsequently served as a member of the Board of Governance for the Greater Sunrise Special Regime under the Maritime Boundary Treaty.

Before joining TIMOR GAP, E.P. in 2023 as its President & CEO, Rui served for over six years as Head of the Tibar Port Project Management Unit, where he led the financial mobilization and implementation of Timor-Leste’s first PPP project and one of its largest private investments in public infrastructure.

Rui holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Aston University, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum from the University of Adelaide, Australia.