Minister of Foreign Affairs and other authorities

Ambassador Mauro Vieira - Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mauro Vieira graduated with a Bachelor`s degree in Law in 1973 from the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and graduated in 1974 from the Brazilian Diplomatic Academy – Rio Branco Institute. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters (Humaniorum Litterarum Doctorem) in 2014 from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Vieira served as Coordinator for International Acts; Assistant to the Secretary General; Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Chief of Staff for the Secretary General; and Chief of Staff for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Vieira has also worked in the Ministry of Science and Technology, as Deputy Secretary General for Science and Technology; and at the Ministry of Social Security and Social Assistance, as National Secretary of Administration at the Institute of Social Security.

Abroad, he served as a Second Secretary at the Embassy of Brazil in Washington D.C. (1978-1982); at the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA/ALADI) in Montevideo (1982-1985) as a First Secretary; at the Embassy of Brazil in Mexico City (1990-1992) as a Counsellor; and at the Embassy of Brazil in Paris (1995-1999) as a Minister Counsellor.

He was the Ambassador of Brazil to Argentina (2004-2010); Ambassador of Brazil to the United States of America (2010-2015) and the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations in New York (2016-2020). He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil in 2015 and 2016.

His most recent posting is that of Ambassador of Brazil to Croatia from 2020 until December 2022. On 1 January 2023, he has taken office as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha - Secretary General of Foreign Affairs

Maria Laura da Rocha was born on September 26, 1955, in Rio de Janeiro, to Arthur Verissimo da Rocha and Laura Martins da Rocha. She is married to Sandro Melaranci and has two daughters, Elisa Melaranci and Marina Melaranci.

She joined the Diplomatic Career Preparatory Course at the Rio Branco Institute in 1976, when she was still in the third year of the National Faculty of Law (UFRJ, 1974-1976).

She began her diplomatic career as a Third Secretary on October 6, 1978.

On June 16, 2000, she passed the Advanced Studies Course (CAE) at the Rio Branco Institute by presenting her thesis “Diplomacy, Technology and Defense: Itamaraty and the international attraction of sensitive technology to the aerospace sector”.

She was promoted to First Class Minister (Ambassador) on June 18, 2008.

In Brazil, Maria da Laura da Rocha held the following positions: Assistant to the Head of the Human Resources Division and Executive Coordinator of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Administration Department (1978-1981); Assistant Director General of Administration at the Presidency of the Republic (1991-1992); Executive Coordinator at the General Undersecretariat for the Foreign Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1992-1993); Chief of Staff to the Secretary for Strategic Affairs at the Presidency of the Republic and to the Minister of Special Projects (1995-1999); Chief of Staff to the Minister of Science and Technology; and Interim Minister of State (1999-2002); Secretary for Diplomatic Planning at the Itamaraty (2008); Chief of Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2008-2010); Secretary General of Foreign Affairs (2023 - ).

While abroad, she served as Second Secretary at the Embassy in Rome (1981-1985); Second and First Secretary at the Embassy in Moscow (1985-1989); First Secretary at the Embassy in Rome; (1992-1995); Minister-Counselor at the Embassy in Paris (2003 - 2008); Permanent Delegate of Brazil to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2011-2014); Representative of Brazil to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2014-2017); Ambassador to Hungary (2017-2020), and Ambassador to Romenia (2020 – 2022).

Maria Laura has received the following decorations: Medal for Merit Santos Dumont (Brazil), the Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Officer), the Peacemaker Medal (Brazil); the Order of Aeronautical Merit (Commander); the Order of Scientific Merit (Commander); the Order of Military Merit (Commander); the Order of Naval Merit (Commander); the Order of Aeronautical Merit (Grand Officer); the Order of Defense Merit (Grand Officer), the Order of Rio Branco (Grand Cross), the Ordre National du Mérite (France).

Ambassador Gisela Maria Figueiredo Padovan - Secretary of Latin America and the Caribbean

Gisela Maria Figueiredo Padovan was born in São Paulo on August 4, 1960. She graduated in Languages and Pedagogy from the University of São Paulo (1981), where she obtained a specialization in translation (1984). She joined the Rio Branco Institute (IRBr) in 1991. In 2009, she completed the Higher Studies Course, defending her thesis “Diplomacy and the Use of Force: The Iraq Panels.”

She held important positions in Brazil, in the Divisions of International Economic Organizations (1992–1993) and of the United Nations (1993–1997), in the Diplomatic Planning Office (2003), in the General Coordination for Political and Economic Planning (2003–2004), and as an adviser in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004–2007).

In foreign postings, she served at the Brazilian Mission to the United Nations (1997–2000) and at the Brazilian Embassies in Buenos Aires (2000–2003 and 2013–2016) and Washington (2007–2013). In 2017, she became head of the Special Advisory Office for Federative and Parliamentary Affairs (AFEPA), and in 2018, she took office as  Director-General of theRio Branco Institute (IRBr). She also served as Consul General of Brazil in Madrid (2019–2022). In February 2023, she was appointed Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean (SALC), a position she currently holds.

Ambassador Roberto Abdalla - Secretary for Europe and North America

Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte - Secretary for Africa and the Middle East

CARLOS SÉRGIO SOBRAL DUARTE is Secretary for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since April 2023.

Born in 1959, in Rio de Janeiro, he graduated in economics from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom, in 1980. He began his diplomatic career in 1983.

He served as the Ambassador of Brazil in New Delhi (2012-2015), in Santiago (2017-2020) and as Permanent Representative of Brazil to the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Vienna (2021-2023). He also served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, in New York (2015-2017).

In Brazil, he was head of the United Nations Division (2004-2005) and director of the International Organizations Department (2007-2011).

He also held diplomatic posts at the Mission of Brazil to the United Nations in New York (1987-1990 and 2004-2007), at the Mission of Brazil to the United Nations in Geneva (1995-1998), at the Embassy in Caracas (1990-1993), and at the Embassy in Buenos Aires (1999 -2001).

He was awarded the following decorations:

Brazil: the Order of Rio Branco (Grand Cross); the Defence Order of Merit (Grand Officer); the Military Order of Merit (Grand Officer); the Naval Order of Merit (Grand Officer); the Aeronautical Order of Merit (Grand Officer); the Medal of Victory (Defence); the Peacemaker Medal (Army); the Tamandaré Medal of Merit (Navy); and the Santos Dumont Medal of Merit (Air Force).

Chile: the Order of O'Higgins (Grand Cross).

He has published works on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation affairs.

FRANÇAIS

Ambassador Susan Kleebank - Secretary of Asia and the Pacific

Born in 1961, she holds a Bachelor's degree in History from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and a postgraduate degree in History from the University of Paris X Nanterre. She joined the diplomatic career in 1981.

She served as Ambassador to Hungary between 2022 and 2025, Ambassador to Slovakia from 2012 to 2017, and Consul General in Geneva from 2017 to 2022. She also served at the Embassies in Washington, Ottawa, Rome, Bonn, and Beijing.

In Brasília, she was Advisor at the Superior Electoral Court and at the Supreme Federal Court. At the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she held the positions of General Coordinator of Economic Organizations, Head of the Legal Division, and Advisor at the Department of Asia and Oceania and at the Department of International Organizations.

Ambassador Philip Fox-Drummond Gough - Secretary for Economic and Financial Affairs

Ambassador Philip Fox-Drummond Gough holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in Economics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and joined the Brazilian Foreign Service in 1994.

In Brazil, he held the positions of Head of the Division for Market Access Negotiations (2007–2009), Head of the Division for Argentina and Uruguay (2013–2014), Head of the Division of Economic and Trade Issues of Mercosur (2014–2016), Director of the United States Department (2021–2022), Director of the Department of Trade Negotiations (2022–2023), and Director of the Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Trade in Services (2023–2025) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In foreign postings, he served at the Brazilian Mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva (2000–2003) and at the Embassy of Brazil in Asunción, Paraguay (2003–2006). He also served as Head of the Trade Policy Section at the Embassy of Brazil in the United States (2009–2010), Head of the Trade Promotion Section at the same Embassy (2010–2012), and as Minister-Counselor at the Brazilian Mission to the United Nations in New York (2016–2021).

In May 2025, he was appointed Secretary for Economic and Financial Affairs.

Ambassador Carlos Márcio Bicalho Cozendey - Secretary of Multilateral Political Affairs

Ambassador Carlos Márcio Bicalho Cozendey was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1963.

He joined the Diplomatic Career Preparatory Course (CPCD) at the Rio Branco Institute in 1985 and received his bachelor´s degree in Diplomacy from the same Institute (1985-1986). He also earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1980-1984) and a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Brasília (1990-1992).

He held the positions of Assistant and Advisor to the Trade Policy Division 1987-1992), Head of the Mercosur Division (1999-2003), Director of the Economic Department (2007-2010), Director of the Financial and Services Affairs Department (2015) and Undersecretary general for Economic and Financial Affairs (2015-2018).  He also served as Special Advisor to the Foreign Commerce Chamber (CAMEX) Executive Secretariat (1998-1999) and as Secretary of International Affairs (2011-2014) at the Ministry of Finance.

On his first assignment abroad, he served at the Permanent Mission of Brazil to International Organizations in Geneva (1992-1995), and then at  the Delegation of Brazil to the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA), in Montevideo (1995-1998). He was also Counselor at the Mission of Brazil to the European Communities, in Brussels (2003-2006). As an Ambassador, he was Delegate of Brazil to the International Economic Organizations in Paris (2018-2022).

He has been appointed Secretary of Multilateral Political Affairs since 27^th February 2023.

Ambassador Laudemar Gonçalves de Aguiar Neto - Secretary for Trade Promotion, Science, Technology, Innovation and Culture

Ambassador Márcia Loureiro - Secretary of Brazilian Communities Abroad and Consular and Legal Affairs

Ambassador Márcia Loureiro started her tour of duty as Secretary of Brazilian Communities Abroad and Consular and Legal Affairs of Itamaraty last 26 July 2024.

As a career diplomat, she entered the Rio Branco Institute (IRBr) in 1985. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Foreign Service (1993) from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington-DC/USA.

Along her career in Itamaraty, Ambassador Loureiro worked in Brasilia in the fields of trade promotion, science and technology, diplomatic planning, federative and parliamentary relations, economic organizations, and the fight against transnational crime. She was also a member of the National Organizing Committee of the Rio+20 Conference.

From 2015 to 2017, she was the Head Advisor for International Affairs at the Ministry of Justice.

Abroad, Mrs. Loureiro served at the Embassy of Brazil in Lima and was Deputy Consul in Boston, Deputy Consul General in San Francisco, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy in Washington and Consul General in Los Angeles from 2017 to 2021.

From 2021 to 2024, Ambassador Márcia Loureiro was the President of the Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation (FUNAG), a research institution affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Mauricio Carvalho Lyrio - Secretary for Climate, Energy and Environment

Ambassador Denis Fontes de Souza Pinto - Secretary for Administrative Management

Denis Fontes de Souza Pinto was born in Recife. He graduated in Law from the Federal University of Pernambuco (1977) and joined the diplomatic career in 1979.

At the Foreign Ministry in Brasília, Ambassador Denis Fontes de Souza Pinto has served as General Coordinator of Budget and Finances; Director of the Foreign Service Department, Undersecretary-General of Foreign Service, among other positions.

His overseas assignments have been to the Embassies in Bonn and Quito as second secretary, to the Embassy in Beijing as first secretary, to the Embassies in Paris and Pretoria as counselor and to the Mission to the European Economic Community in Brussels as minister counselor.

He also served as Ambassador of Brazil to the Holy See (2013-2017);  Ambassador  of Brazil to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (2013-2017); Ambassador of Brazil to Canada (2017-2019); and Consul General of Brazil in Buenos Aires (2019-2023).

Ambassador Mitzi Gurgel Valente da Costa - Director General of the Rio Branco Institute