Maria is an International Business Consultant at Quidgest, a Portuguese IT company pioneer in automatic software generation.

Quidgest was one of the first to develop a Data Protection Management System to answer the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (LGPD). The company was distinguished in 2018 as a national SME Leader by the Portuguese Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation.

As a certified Project Manager, she was responsible for the company’ data protection portfolio and its internationalization to the Brazilian market.

Recently, she was one of the first twelve professionals to obtain the certification Encarregado de Dados from SERPRO, the world’s largest public IT company and the first Brazilian entity to launch an innovative data protection training program adapted to the needs of the General Data Protection Law.

A strong advocate of the Sustainable Development Goals and the movement Digital Skills for All, she was Quidgest representative in the Millennium@EDU SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION event at the United Nations headquarters that gathered key-players and some of the largest multinationals involved in education and technology around the world.

Maria is graduated in International Relations from Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas of the University of Lisbon and is currently finishing her Masters in Governance, Leadership and Democracy Studies of Universidade Católica Portuguesa.