José Ramalho Fontes was born in Porto on March 8, 1949.
He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Porto (1971), attended the Doctoral Program in “Philosophy of Human Action and Organizational Management” at the University of Navarra, and was appointed Specialist in Engineering and Industrial Management by the Faculty of Engineers. He was a Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (1971-74) and a Visiting Professor at IST, Instituto Superior Técnico (1974-75). At AESE Business School, he has been a faculty member since 1984 and served as President of the Operations Department (1985-2010), becoming Professor Emeritus in 2024. He has also taught at IESE in Madrid and at other schools.
At AESE, since its foundation in 1980, he promoted the school and served as a board member. After 12 years as Dean (2002-2014), he was President of AESE Business School until 2023. He is currently President Emeritus of the School.
Among other specific projects, he launched health and agribusiness programs at AESE, and the Entrepreneurship Chair at the inception of NAVES SCR—a venture capital firm focused on Alumni ventures. He developed a national project to increase the competitiveness of the wine business ecosystem through research work, case studies, and events.
He was the inspiration behind the AESE Programs in Angola and the EFMD launch regarding the development of business schools in Africa.
He is the author of several case studies in Operations, Environment, and Innovation, published by AESE and used by various business schools.
He is a member of the Board of several companies and foundations.
His interests include
- Business and social innovation
- Automotive and media sectors
- Anthropology
- He unwinds from his professional activity by cycling.
