Joana Fernandes began as a lecturer in the Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in 2007 and is now participating as an invited assistant professor in the Master's program in Psychology and Human Resources Development. 

She completed her PhD at the University of Porto in 2014.

She started her career at the Business Support and Services Center of the Portuguese Business Association, where she worked as a consultant and training manager. Joana also worked in the Transformation area at Sonae SPGS, where she focused on international requalification projects and on a cultural evolution project for the group within the people performance management stream.

Joana is currently the Country Business Leader for Marsh People and Investments and has worked for more than 20 years as a consultant and trainer, with experience across several sectors including retail, healthcare, travel, technology, automotive, and banking. 

With strong experience in organizational transformation, her career is marked by a focus on people strategy and business growth.