Ferreira, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of mining company Vale, requested the leave of absence for personal reasons, according to the minutes of the board's meeting on Sept. 14.

Petrobras's CEO Aldemir Bendine said on Monday he is confident Ferreira will return to head the company's board.

(Reporting by Alonso Soto; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

Stocks treated in this article : Vale SA, Petroleo Brasileiro SA - Petrobras