João Bento: “I am open to considering an international non-executive position”
After seven years leading CTT, João Bento is entering a new phase of his career, now as non-executive chairman of Altri and Lisnave. But he admits to an interest in an international position.
João Bento is leaving CTT without quite talking about retirement. In an interview given days before he stepped down from the top of the company, he describes the transition as a decision taken “at the right age”: he does not want to stop working, but he does want to stop being an executive. At 65, almost at the same time as the end of his term, he has just moved “to the other side” of the relationship between chairman and chief executive. First at Altri, and now at Lisnave too.
In this part of the interview, João Bento explains why he believes a chairman is not an honorary figure: the chairman’s job is to “steer” and “energise” the board, to challenge the executive team, to help set the strategy and “to be there at the other end of the phone” whenever needed. His time at CTT now makes him want to give that help back to other managers. With no “temptation” to return to the executive side.
AI translation from the Portuguese. First published in ECO on 11 May 2026.