After an extensive executive career in Banking and previously as Auditor, Duarte Pitta Ferraz has developed a symbiotic dual career as member of Boards of Directors of large corporate and as Professor of academic institutions. This complementarity between his intense practical and conceptual activity is regarded as being of value for the improvement of both worlds. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration by Nottingham Trent University of the UK as well as degrees in Law and in Accounting. Having started his career as a Lawyer, he afterwards obtained his professional license as Statutory Auditor, activity which he then exercised for over 13 years, before initiating an over 20 year executive career as Manager and Executive Director at banking institutions in several international settings. After obtaining his Doctorate degree, he developed an academic dimension, notably becoming a Full Professor of Corporate Governance and Banking at NOVA School of Business and Economics in Lisbon, Portugal, at The Lisbon MBA, and NOVA SBE Executive Education, among other positions. In addition to this academic perspective, he continued to develop his hands-on career as independent Non-Executive Director, Lead Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair on the Boards of public and private institutions in Europe, most notably at the European Investment Bank. Having lived and worked in Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Angola, USA, and Brazil, among others, he brings a diverse cultural knowledge to his contributions.