Portuguese public broadcaster RTP will pay executive recruitment agency Boyden Portugal 74,000 euros plus value-added tax, totaling 91,000 euros, to advise on selecting its next management board for the 2027 to 2029 term.
The contract details, published on Portugal's official public procurement portal Portal Base, outline consultancy services for the Independent General Council, the supervisory body responsible for appointing executive leadership at Rádio e Televisão de Portugal.
Payment for the services will be made in two separate installments. Boyden Portugal will receive 54,000 euros for selecting the president of the board of directors and a non-financial executive director, and 20,000 euros for choosing the executive director responsible for finances.
Tender process and candidate slates
The selection contract followed a prior consultation procedure launched on May 8, 2026. Under procurement regulations, the procedure required invitations to three entities and a contract ceiling below 75,000 euros before tax.
According to Portuguese business news publication Eco, executive search firms Egon Zehnder and Korn Ferry were also invited to submit proposals alongside Boyden Portugal.
The chosen consultancy will define candidate profiles, draft recruitment notices, assess candidate qualifications and suitability, and evaluate applicants to determine the executive team that will lead the public broadcaster for the next three years.
Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã reported that current RTP president Nicolau Santos is seeking a third term, standing on a joint bid with current board member Hugo Figueiredo.
Three other candidate teams have also submitted bids for the leadership roles. Former RTP deputy director of news Luís Castro is running alongside former RTP financial administrator Luísa Ribeiro.
Former journalist and WPP chief executive Francisco Teixeira has partnered with Gustavo dos Santos Lima, the marketing director for ecosystem and subscriptions at Google Europe, Middle East and Africa. Former Dreamia chief executive Pedro Mota Carmo has also presented a candidature.
Previous recruitment contract controversy
The hiring of Boyden Portugal follows a similar selection process in 2021, when RTP engaged the same executive search firm to choose the management team led by Nicolau Santos.
That 2021 agreement generated industry criticism over its cost. RTP paid 70,000 euros plus tax, amounting to more than 86,000 euros, a sum described as excessive by competing recruitment firms.
Questions were also raised regarding how the 2021 contract was executed. Board administrator Hugo Figueiredo signed the agreement with Boyden Portugal on behalf of the Independent General Council while he was himself a candidate on one of 12 submitted applications, alongside Santos, who was then president of Portuguese news agency Lusa.
Although Figueiredo signed the contract hiring the firm that evaluated his own successful application for the board of directors, the Independent General Council denied that any conflict of interest had occurred.
