Catarina Vaz Pinto holds a Law degree from the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP), Lisbon (1983), and a post-graduation degree in European Studies from the College of Europe, Bruges (1986). She previously was the State Secretary for Culture (1997-2000) and assistant to the Minister of Culture (1995-1997) in the government of Portugal. She has been Deputy-Mayor for Culture of the Lisbon City Council for 12 years (2009-2021), and served as the executive manager of the Gulbenkian Creativity and Artistic Creation Program/Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2003-2007). Currently she is a cultural manager and independent consultant for arts and culture , a member of the European Cultural Foundation Supervisory Board since 2021 and a board member of the Izmir Mediterranean Academy, since 2023.