A fresh breeze is sweeping through Angolan finance. The Board of Directors of the Angolan Debt and Securities Exchange (BODIVA) is undergoing a transformation, and at its helm stands an emerging figure: Cristina Dias Lourenço. The official announcement, dated February 6, confirms that she has been appointed interim President of the Executive Commission (PCE), succeeding Walter Pacheco, who resigned in January.
This appointment is no coincidence. BODIVA justifies its choice by citing Cristina Lourenço’s experience and seniority within the Executive Commission, stating that “she is the longest-serving member of the executive commission.” Her career, built with precision and ambition, has prepared her for this strategic role. Since joining the stock exchange’s board in August 2020, she has established herself as a key figure in Angola’s financial sector.
However, Cristina Dias Lourenço will not be navigating this transition alone. BODIVA has also appointed new interim board members. Cleiton Pereira de Barros and Natália Carvalho de Jesus have been named administrators after holding leadership positions.
Nevertheless, this new team will only fully assume its functions after validation by the General Assembly of Shareholders, scheduled for March 21, 2025.
Cristina Lourenço: A Meteoric Rise
Cristina Dias Lourenço graduated in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science (London, UK) in 2012. That same year, she interned at the Banco Angolano de Investimentos (BAI), within the department responsible for evaluating projects for financing under the project finance model. She then honed her expertise by earning a Master’s in Investment Management from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in New York (USA) in 2014.
Upon returning to Luanda in 2014, she joined BODIVA as a market analyst just months after the institution was founded. She played a pivotal role in establishing the technical foundations and implementing the first stock exchange trading segments while also training the first regulated market trading technicians. Simultaneously, she conducted studies and promoted market development within the Market Development Department.
In 2016, she joined the Ministry of Finance, taking on a crucial role in establishing the Technical Unit for Monitoring External Financing Projects (UTAP). As Deputy Director-General, her primary responsibility was to assess the impact and preparedness of investment projects financed by external resources, ensuring their proper physical and financial execution.
Before assuming the presidency of BODIVA, Cristina Dias Lourenço was an Executive Administrator and a member of the Board of Directors, overseeing the Finance, Asset Management, and Communication & Exchange departments.
As the daughter of Angola’s President, João Lourenço, and First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, Cristina Lourenço is well aware that all eyes are on her. But while her name has placed her in the public spotlight, it is her talent and dedication that have propelled her to the top of Angola’s financial world.
