Margarida Couto has a degree in Law and a postgraduate degree in European Studies from the Faculty of Law of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

A founding partner of Vieira de Almeida & Associados (VdA Legal Partners), she was responsible for the ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) area, the Social Economy and Human Rights area, and the Pro Bono Programme of the firm.
Her professional activity has been linked to the field of Sustainability in general and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues in particular. She coordinates the ESG Executive Programme at VdA Academy and the ESG Strategy and Reporting Programme at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics (CLSBE), where she also teaches. She is responsible for the Women on Boards Executive Programme, an initiative to promote female leadership launched by VdA Academy in 2018.

Margarida Couto is a member of the Board of Trustees of the EDP Foundation, the Santander Foundation, the Mendes Gonçalves Foundation and the University of Aveiro.

She is a promoter and Vice-President of Rede Capital Social – Associação de Filantropia Estratégica (Social Capital Network – Strategic Philanthropy Association). She is also non-executive director at CTT – Correios de Portugal, S.A and has been a non-executive director at Luz Saúde, S.A.

She teaches at several higher education institutions in Portugal.