Margarida Matos Rosa

Meet Margarida Matos Rosa

Margarida Matos Rosa is an accomplished leader with over two decades of experience spanning competition policy, financial markets regulation, and institutional asset management. Her career uniquely bridges public and private sectors, bringing valuable insights to organizations in complex regulatory environments, across multiple jurisdictions.

From 2016 to 2023, Margarida served as President of the Portuguese Competition Authority, where she led a team of 110 professionals and transformed the organization into a globally recognized antitrust body. Under her leadership, the Authority rose from 40th place to become one of the top 8 competition authorities worldwide. Her expertise in competition policy led to her appointment as Vice-Chair of the International Competition Network, where she bridged antitrust and macroeconomic matters. Additionally, she was selected by her peers to serve on the OECD’s Bureau of the Competition Committee, contributing to global antitrust policy development. During her tenure, Margarida Matos Rosa uncovered significantly detrimental cartels in banking, telecommunications, health, energy, digital services, advertising, among several other sectors. She is also credited with contributions to the current EU digital policy.

Prior to her role in competition policy and enforcement, Margarida built extensive experience in deepening the EU single market, particularly in financial markets. As Managing Director, at the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM), she oversaw the Investment Funds Supervision Department, managing conduct and prudential supervision across asset management companies, private equity, and related sectors. Her international engagement included representing Portugal on multiple high-level committees, including the European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA), the European Systemic Risk Board’s Advisory Technical Committee (ERSB), and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

Margarida’s private sector background includes director-level positions at prestigious financial institutions. At UBS Bank, she launched the Institutional and Key Client business in Portugal, while at Santander Investment, she structured and led the Portuguese team for capital markets products. Her longest private sector tenure was with BNP Paribas (1998-2006), where she established and developed the institutional asset management business in Portugal, achieving market leadership, 49% at peak, among foreign asset managers.

Her education includes a Master’s degree in Public and International Affairs (MPA) from Princeton University and a B.A. in Economic Sciences (magna cum laude) from Université Catholique de Louvain. She continues to expand her knowledge through programs at prestigious institutions like Oxford University, where she recently completed both Women’s Leadership Development and Artificial Intelligence programs.

Margarida maintains close ties with academia through teaching engagements, including courses on the Digital Markets Act and on Artificial Intelligence. She also conducts consultancy work for international organizations.

Currently serving on the Executive Board of Princeton’s Association of Graduate Alumni, she launched a Lifelong Learning Initiative for Princeton’s 34,000+ graduate alumni worldwide. Her professional versatility is enhanced by her proficiency in five languages (Portuguese, English, French, Italian, and Spanish), enabling her to engage effectively across international contexts.

Margarida brings exceptional value to organizations dealing with public policy and private sector interests, particularly in competition policy, financial regulation, and EU policy.