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 2020 / 2022

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

  • 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 is IP & Digital Group Senior Partner and Partner of the ICT practice area (Information, Communications and Technology), having been involved, in her professional activity, in the main transactions related to communications, media and data privacy sectors, working on both economic and transactional regulation matters. She has also developed a vast activity in infrastructure projects and worked on public tenders in regulated and non-regulated sectors.

She is the Partner responsible for the Social Economy practice area, providing legal and strategic advice to the most relevant Foundations and Associations operating in Portugal and to several projects of social impact, being also responsible for the Pro Bono Program of VdA, leading the Pro Bono Committee of the firm, and leading its Sustainability Program. Currently she is the Chairwoman of Associação VdA Academia, the firm's corporate academy, in which she is responsible for the executive program Women on Boards.

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

Author of several articles on economic regulation, telecommunications, social economy and social responsibility/sustainability published in national and international publications, she is frequently invited to speak at conferences related to her practice areas in Portugal and abroad, having been distinguished throughout her career by the main international law directories as a leading lawyer in these areas.

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

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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
  • 2017-…: Secretary of the General Assembly of Fórum Oceano – Associação da Economia do Mar (Association of Maritime Economy)
  • 2016-…: Secretary of the General Assembly of BCSD Portugal – Business Council for Sustainable Development
  • 2015-…: Chairwoman of the Board of  Associação VdA Academia
  • 2013-2017: Vice-President of GRACE (Group for Reflection and Support for Corporate Citizenship)