Manuel Matos dos Santos has a degree in Political Science and International Relations from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a master’s degree in Development and International Cooperation from ISEG – Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão. He also studied at Charles University, in Prague, Czech Republic. Manuel has the Sports Director course from the FPF – Portuguese Football Federation. In 2017, Manuel joined Closer Consulting, a Data Science company specializing in Business Intelligence, Advanced Analytics & Artificial Intelligence. He is responsible for brand awareness initiatives, marketing, communication, contact with institutional partners, clients and journalists, and for various commercial and recruitment developments. Over the last 3 years, Manuel has recruited more than 100 professionals for a company whose mission is to challenge complexity. He was President of YATA Portugal, which addresses and debates the role of NATO, through approaches aimed at civil society, together with the network of 31 countries that make up the Alliance. In 2020, he assumed the role of Secretary General of YATA International, an organization that represents each of the young Atlantic internationals in the Western space. In September 2021, as a candidate for the Portuguese Liberal Party, Manuel was elected member of the Junta de Alvalade, in Lisbon. In May 2023, Manuel was appointed Secretary General of the Portuguese Atlantic Commission, a diplomatic institution based in the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, composed of military personnel, politicians, diplomats and academics who promote the values of freedom, democracy, pluralism and of collective security in Portugal and abroad.