Founder of ENSUL and the remaining companies in the group ESPHERA, he is President of the Board of Directors of ESPHERA CAPITAL SGPS. He also has the same position in the Board of Directors of JLF.

He was at the origin of several other companies, amongst which IGP – Imobiliária e Gestão de Propriedades Lda, with links, in the present and in the past, to other construction, engineering, property and communications companies.

He is a founding member of the Board of APIEE - Associação Portuguesa dos Industriais de Engenharia Eléctrica (Portuguese Association of Electrical Engineering Industrialists). In January 2006 António Couto was awarded the honour Grande Oficial da Ordem de Mérito by His Excellency the President of the Republic Jorge Sampaio.

Chief Executive Officer of Esphera Capital SGPS, S.A. He led the constituent team that motivated the reunification of social participations and the repositioning of the corporative identity of the whole group. He coordinates the international Companies and Delegations and the global Management Information and Communication and Image teams.

He previously held the post of Administrator in the company MECI S.A: where he was responsible for the areas of production, process, quality, safety and environment, supplies, outsourcing, equipment and assets.

His BA in Business Administration degree taken at Richmond University in London was awarded equivalence by the Portuguese Catholic University. Amongst other qualifications he studied Project Management and Negotiation and Advanced Management Programme for Managers at the Portuguese Catholic University.

Having obtained a degree in Economics at ISEG he was a lecturer in this institution until 1990 (Introduction to Economics, Currency and Credit). A member of the Economists Association, he was also a Member of the Executive Committee of the Research Centre on Financial Economics (CIEF).

He joined the group ESPHERA in 1986 working in the financial area of ENSUL and MECI having been made Administrator of these companies in March 1995. Between 1991 and 1993 he performed the same role in Edisport, SA (previous owner of the newspaper Record).

He is Chief Executive Officer of JLF, SA (Orchidea) and has been an Administrator of Esphera Capital since its foundation.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration by Huron University USA in London having specialised in Management and Marketing and is at present an Administrator of Esphera Capital, SGPS, SA. She is the manager in charge of administration and communications and project promotion of the real estate company Orchidea.

Previously she was a member of the management team for supplies and communications and image for MECI and played several roles in ENSUL.

With a Law Degree awarded by the Law Faculty of Lisbon Classic University he joined the group ESPHERA in 1996 where he was Administrator of the companies ENSUL, S.A. and MECI, S.A.

Before, he was President of the Sports Institute, General Secretary of the Ministry for Planning and Territorial Administration and General Director of Local Administration.

Apart from belonging to the Management Team of Esphera Capital, he is a management consultant for ENSUL MECI, S.A., Administrator of the company MTS - Metro Transportes do Sul, S.A. and Administrator of Sociedade Urbanizadora da Praia do Sol, S.A..