Director General of Sonangal UK
José Carlos de Castro Paiva remains an influential force in Angolan politics. In 1975 de Castro Paiva began his career in banking. A year later, he joined the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, rising to the head of its marketing department.
In 1987, de Paiva Castro was appointed to the position of Director General of Sonangol UK Ltd., a position he still holds. He also serves as chair of the board of Banco Angolano de Investimentos (BAI), which was formed in 1996 as Angola’s first private bank. The largest shareholder of BAI is the state oil producer Sonangol.