The legal engine behind Brisa’s expansion
The group’s legal director, Joana Varela reflects on a career shaped by challenge, diversification and the growing complexity of international business law
by glória paiva
They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Joana Varela, legal director at Grupo Brisa since March this year, is a millennial – and she honours the generation she belongs to. At 42, she already has extensive experience spanning major law firms and public institutions and companies. In her view, the recent cultural shifts that prioritise wellbeing and work-life balance are among the most significant steps taken by law firms in recent years. Driven by challenges, she says she learns best when faced with the unknown.
Varela has worked at PLMJ, CS’Associados and RRP Advogados; at CTT Correios de Portugal, where she served as legal counsel; and within the Portuguese government, where she was head of Cabinet for the Secretary of State for Innovation, Investment and Competitiveness. Over the course of her career, she specialized in corporate and M&A, and first encountered Brisa –a prominent road mobility operator headquartered in Portugal – in 2012. In 2021, she was invited to join the group as legal counsel and, since March this year, has been leading its legal team of 20 professionals. In recent years, she has been responsible for supporting the conglomerate’s internationalization strategy from a legal standpoint and oversees all its legal matters.
During her law studies, Joana Varela initially planned to pursue a career in the judiciary. But after an internship at PLMJ, she realised that wasn’t the right path: the prospect of growing and becoming a partner in a major law firm took hold in her mind. “I wanted to work and learn from the best lawyers, and that’s exactly what I did – and I’m very proud of it”, she says. But unexpected opportunities led her down different roads. “I like to feel challenged, and that’s why I tried working in the public sector and at different firms”, she explains.
Throughout her varied career, Varela has worked alongside technicians, economists, legal experts, press offices, politicians and others. “The legal side is very important, but by learning from other people, we can really enhance our own abilities”, she reflects. According to the lawyer, management skills, strategic vision, client focus, communication and negotiation are among the valuable competencies she picked up along the way. “We need to learn that lawyers are just one piece in a larger puzzle”, she notes.
TRANSFORMATIONS AT THE BRISA GROUP
Brisa is currently responsible for five motorway concessions, totalling more than 1,500 kilometres and 24 service areas across Portugal. It also operates complementary businesses in electronic tolling and mobility services under the Via Verde brand, infratech through A-to-Be, and vehicle inspections via Controlauto.
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