Maria Cândida Rocha e Silva was born on 9 January 1944 in Vila do Conde. She began her career in 1970 working alongside her father at L. J. Carregosa & Cª., Lda. From then on, her professional life centred on the financial sector, particularly in those areas involved with capital markets. Maria Cândida was the first woman to become an Official Broker on the Portuguese Stock Exchange (Bolsa Portuguesa), having registered as such on 23 January 1981 with the then Bolsa de Valores do Porto (BVP). 

She was Chair of Corretora LJ Carregosa and, later of LJ Carregosa - Sociedade Financeira de Corretagem, which became a bank in 2008, and which she has chaired since. Based in Porto, Banco Carregosa specialises in private banking but also maintains a strong presence in capital markets trading. LJ Carregosa’s origins go back to 1833, when L. J. Carregosa was founded in Porto by Lourenço Joaquim Carregosa to trade in foreign exchange. The Bank of Portugal was founded some 13 years later, in 1846. 

In 2010, Maria Cândida Rocha e Silva was nominated as an Ambassador to the body known as the "European Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors", by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency. She was awarded the 2012 Career Prize at the Maxima magazine Business Woman of the Year awards for her career in the financial world. In 2014, Maria Cândida was awarded the Femina Award for achievements in Entrepreneurship and Professional Excellence. The Femina Award was created in 2010 by João Micael, founder and managing director of Matriz Portuguesa - Sociedade Civil para o Desenvolvimento da Cultura e do Conhecimento. It recognises Portuguese women who have distinguished themselves in professional, cultural or humanitarian pursuits in Portuguese society, either in Portugal or abroad. In 2015 she received another career award, that of "Lifetime Achievement" presented by Deloitte at their Investors Relations Awards gala.   

Also in 2015, Maria Cândida was awarded the "Municipal Medal of Merit - Gold Grade", by the Porto City Council and in 2021, she was awarded the "Medal of Merit", by the City Council of Vila do Conde, her home town.

Maria Cândida is a member of the Board of Directors of APGEI (Portuguese Association of Industrial Management and Engineering) and of the Social Council of Economic Sciences of the Lusíada University of Porto. 

She has also dedicated some of her time to helping social institutions. She was Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Fundação Oficina de São José - IPSS and currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Mama Help, a non for profit organisation that helps breast cancer patients. She is also a member of the Administrative Board of the Ordem do Carmo.

Maria Cândida Rocha e Silva has a Bachelor degree in Romance Philology from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto. She lives in Porto and has two daughters and five grandchildren.