This paper analyses the structure and composition of executive power in Portugal through the concept of the “executive triangle”, encompassing ministers, ministerial advisers and senior bureaucrats. While these actors are central to policy-making and political accountability, they are typically studied in isolation. The paper adopts a comparative and integrated approach, applying a common set of indicators—covering recruitment patterns, socio-demographic characteristics, educational backgrounds and career trajectories—to all three groups. By doing so, it seeks to determine whether the Portuguese executive operates as a cohesive and interconnected elite or as a set of segmented and weakly permeable career worlds. The analysis provides new insights into how political and administrative resources are combined within government, as well as the extent to which boundaries between politics and administration are maintained or blurred. The findings contribute to broader debates on elite integration, executive governance and the evolving relationship between expertise and political authority.