Biography

Teresa Damásio is a today undeniable leader in the field of education in Portugal and in the portuguese-speaking world.

Chief Executive Officer of the ENSINUS Group since July 2016, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017 and assumes itself as one of the largest Portuguese Language Teaching Groups in the world, leads business organizations, entirely dedicated to education and teaching, from pre-school to higher education, including vocational education and training, consultancy, and applied research. It is responsible for the ISG, INETE, the Escola de Comércio de Lisboa and the Escola de Comércio do Porto, EPET, EPAR, the Externato Marquês de Pombal, the Externato Pedro Álvares Cabral and the Colégio de Alfragide institutions, in Portugal, IEG and ISG in Mozambique, IPT and ISG in Guinea-Bissau.

Teresa Damásio also assumes the position of Chief Administrator of the Real Colégio de Portugal, a non-higher education institution of national reference, which teaches from day care to high school.

Since September 2011, Teresa Damásio has also been a member of the Board of Directors of ISUPE – Instituto Superior Politécnico de Humanidades e Tecnologias Ekuikui II, in Huambo, Angola.

Believing that the challenges are for those who have the courage to face them, Teresa Damásio is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of COFAC – branch of Guinea-Bissau, the owner entity of the Universidade Lusófona in the country, since 2020.

Because, as she likes to say, together we go further, she is a member of the Board of AEEP – Association of Private and Cooperative Education Establishments, which has about 500 associated establishments, and represents the Private and Cooperative Education on the Commission’s Advisory Council of UNESCO, actively participating in conferences and publications in the organizations of which she is a member – NAFSA, AIRC and ISEP.

The Portuguese-speaking world is particularly important for Teresa Damásio, because she believes and works for its grow, and being a member of the General Council of the Portugal Mozambique Chamber of Commerce (CCPM).

She has held the position of consultant in the area of Education/Higher Education for the North American company GLG-Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc., for the markets of Portugal, Spain, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe, since February 2023.

Teresa Damásio is an active and committed citizenship to her country, always focused on good governance and on achieving wellness for all, assuming an effective commitment to politics since her youth. As President of the Parish Assembly of Benfica, Lisbon, she guarantees the satisfaction of the needs of its citizens with dedication.

There are many political party positions that she has dedicated herself for the common good of the Portuguese people, namely as a Member of the Assembly of the Republic, Member of the National Committee of the Socialist Party, Member of the National Political Commission of the Socialist Party, Member of the Political Committee of the Lisbon Municipality of the Socialist Party, Member of the Political Commission of FAUL – Federation of the Urban Area of Lisbon of the Socialist Party, Coordinating Secretary of the Sectoral Action Section of Universidade Lusófona of the Socialist Party and Member of the Secretariat of the Benfica Section of the Socialist Party.

Because gender equality is one of the causes that she defends, she also assumed the Presidency of Socialist Women of FAUL: Federation of the Urban Area of Lisbon of the Socialist Party, as well as the Presidency of the Political Commission of Socialist Women.

Teresa Damásio is internationally recognized for her hard and valuable work on behalf of Portugal, as evidenced by her appointment as Portuguese Ambassador of the European Vocational Training Week in 2019 and 2020.

During her leadership, she founded and directed the DRIE – Director of International Relations, Training, Employment and Entrepreneurship Grupo Lusófona, belonging to the administration and has been responsible for the implementation of an international strategy in all-international campus of the University.

Teresa Damásio is an international lawyer and teacher for over 20 years, taking a great interest in higher and non-higher education, and dedicating herself to research capacity building and brain gain policies and in multiculturalism and gender equality.

With a law degree from the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, Teresa Damásio holds a postgraduate degree in “Lusophone Space: Culture, Economy and Politics”, from the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias. She is a proud mother of three boys