From Credit Unions to Startups
The official work biography of 44-year-old T. Valys from Šiauliai is quite rich.
Before the 2023 local elections, T. Valys announced that he graduated from Šiauliai J. Janonis Gymnasium and for some reason mentioned the fact that until 1946 it was the Šiauliai Boys’ Gymnasium.
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In 2004, T. Valys obtained a degree in international relations and political science at Vilnius University (VU), continued master’s studies in law at Mykolas Romeris University, and in 2020 completed a second master’s degree in business administration.
He began his career a little more than two decades ago as one of the leaders of the National Business Administrators Association, which unites bankruptcy administrators, later founded the Baltic Development Consulting Group, “Family Credit Union” with partners and held managerial positions, worked as an auditor at the UK audit firm “Ernst and Young,” and as a sales manager at the company “Invalda Asset Management.”
T. Valys states that with partners he created various startups in London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Rotterdam, the Baltic countries, and worked as a representative of a group of business consulting companies from the United Arab Emirates for Lithuania and the Baltic region.
Political Career: Joined the Social Democrats after Encouragement
In 2019, he turned to politics: he became a member of the Vilnius municipality as a representative of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union.
However, not immediately: initially left out of the council, he entered by replacing Lukas Savickas – the future Minister of Energy of the 21st Government, who was then elected to the Seimas.
When Saulius Skvernelis and his associates split from the “Farmers” and founded the Democrats’ Union “For Lithuania,” in 2023 T. Valys ran again for the council with this new party but did not get elected.
At one point, T. Valys held one of the highest positions among the Democrats – he was a board member. But already in the summer of 2024, he announced that he was withdrawing not only from the Democrats but also from politics.
However, in March 2025, he returned: at the invitation of Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, he became his advisor on economic diplomacy and the efficiency of state-owned enterprises.
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Exactly when T. Valys left the Democrats is not remembered by them, but in unofficial conversations, it is said that the newcomer left the party after the parliamentary elections, having received no significant posts from the “Democrats.”
The Democrats are not inclined to completely “write off” T. Valys, saying that in his many activities he actually worked quite successfully, but they admit that his political ambitions are greater than his opportunities.
“Taurimas Valys considered being a minister among us but realized he would not be. He tends to rate himself very highly and perhaps thought we did not appreciate him. We thought we appreciated him adequately,” said a high-ranking party representative speaking on condition of anonymity.
He tends to rate himself very highly and perhaps thought we did not appreciate him. We thought we appreciated him adequately.
At the same time, social democrats interviewed by 15min said that during visits to the Government, they raised questions about why the Prime Minister’s personal advisor was still a member of another party, even from the then ruling coalition partners.
Finally, in August 2025, the advisor, it is said, became a member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party after encouragement.
To the Ministry – on the Second Attempt
T. Valys became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs after the Social Democrats reshuffled the Government following the resignation of Gintautas Paluckas and his cabinet in August 2025.
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