Margarida Maria Correia de Barros Couto

Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors of CTT - Correios de Portugal, S.A. (CTT)

Date of Birth and nationality 16 September 1964, born in Portugal
Date of 1st appointment at CTT 29 April 2020
Term of office 2023 / 2025

Academic qualifications

  • 1988: Postgraduate studies in European Studies, Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Católica de Lisboa
  • 1987: Degree in Law, Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Católica de Lisboa 

Management and supervisory positions held internally

  • 2020-…: Non-executive Member of the Board of Directors of CTT

Other internal positions held

  • 2023-...: Member of the Corporate Governance, Evaluation and Nominating Committee of CTT
  • 2020-…: Chairwoman of the Ethics Committee of CTT

Professional experience

Founding Partner at Vieira de Almeida & Associados (VdA), being part of this law firm since 1988, she has as main professional occupation the practice of law in regulated sectors and in social economy.

She was a Senior Partner in the PI & Digital Group and a Partner in the ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) area, having been involved in the main transactions in the communications, media and privacy sectors as part of her professional activity, monitoring both economic and transactional regulatory matters. She has also worked extensively on infrastructure projects and monitoring public procurement procedures in regulated and non-regulated sectors.

She is a Partner in the Social Economy practice, which provides legal and strategic advice to the most important Foundations and Associations active in Portugal and to various social impact projects. Between 2015 and 2023 she was President of the VdA Academia Association, the firm's corporate academy, where she was responsible for the Women on Boards Executive Program and the ESG Executive Program.

As lecturer at the Universidade Católica, she has been teaching in matters related to her practice areas, namely Telecommunications Law, Economic Regulation, Social Economy and Sustainability.

She is the author of several articles on economic regulation, telecommunications, social economy and sustainability published in both national and international specialized editions. She is a frequent guest speaker at conferences related to her areas of practice in Portugal and abroad, and has been distinguished throughout her career by the main international law directories as a leader in her areas of practice.

Management and supervisory positions held in other companies (last 5 years)

  • 2023-…: Non-executive Member of the Board of Directors of Luz Saúde, S.A.

Other external positions held (last 5 years)

  • 2018-…: Chairwoman of GRACE - Empresas Responsáveis – Associação (Association of Responsible Business)
  • 2017-…: Member of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fundação Vasco Vieira de Almeida
  • 2016-…: Secretary of the General Assembly of BCSD Portugal – Business Council for Sustainable Development
  • 2015-2023: Chairwoman of the Board of  Associação VdA Academia 
  • 2017-2021: Secretary of the General Assembly of Fórum Oceano – Associação da Economia do Mar (Association of Maritime Economy)
  • 2013-2017: Vice-President of GRACE (Group for Reflection and Support for Corporate Citizenship)