ISP: EUROPE

Catarina Fernandes

Regional Finance Director – Europe

Catarina is from Lisbon, Portugal. Growing up in a family associated with medical practice, she was originally supposed to pursue Medicine. However, being a doctor was not part of her plan and she decided to take Economics instead, later completing a Master’s in Finance at the Nova School of Business and Economics.

Catarina started her career in a private equity fund focused on growth capital. She was particularly involved in the acquisition of a group of schools in Lisbon, taking on a finance role and simultaneously developing growth projects, including the sale of the group’s pedagogical model to Brazil.

Her interest in driving change in schools and creating impact in people has kept Catarina in the education sector. After joining Inspired Education, she moved to Madrid, where she was responsible for the integration of several acquisitions into the group as well as leading the financial reporting and analysis team for Spain.

Catarina moved to the UK at the beginning of 2022 to seek exciting new opportunities – and this has led to her joining ISP as Finance Director for the Europe Region!

Being from a coastal country, Catarina has always loved the sea and water sports. Snorkelling and scuba diving are some of her favourite activities, especially if it involves contact with amazing wildlife!