It was with this provocation that Católica Porto School of Business and Economics (Católica Porto SBE) challenged business leaders, managers and Government representatives to openly discuss one of the most pressing issues facing the Portuguese economy: how to help national companies achieve greater scale. The annual Executive MBA conference filled the Auditório Carvalho Guerra at Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) in Porto this Wednesday, bringing together a panel of speakers well suited to the challenge.
The session opened with João Pinto, Dean of Católica Porto SBE, followed by Luís Marques, Director of the Executive MBA, who set the context for the meeting, noting: “Organisational growth is a prerequisite for creating value, but it is also a means to what we consider essential: the growth of our students.”
The highlight of the session was Carlos Moreira da Silva, President of Business Roundtable Portugal, whose intervention set the tone for the debate by openly addressing some of the main barriers that continue to hold back the growth of Portuguese companies, drawing on his extensive knowledge of the national business landscape.
This was followed by a lively roundtable discussion moderated by Alberto Castro, Full Professor at UCP, who brought together keynote speaker Carlos Moreira da Silva, Luísa Amorim, CEO of Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo and Taboadella, Daniela Simões, Co-founder and CEO of miio, and Ricardo Silva, CEO of Tintex Textiles and President of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association. Scale, internationalisation, innovation and the race for talent were among the topics discussed, with concrete stories and experiences bringing the debate to life.
Miguel Athayde Marques, Vice-Rector for Infrastructural and Strategic Development at UCP, also addressed the audience, highlighting the University’s values and the importance of continuing to create spaces for dialogue between academia and civil society.
But it was the final intervention that brought the conference to a significant close: Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion Manuel Castro Almeida brought the public policy perspective to the conference, discussing the role of the State in creating the conditions for Portuguese companies to truly grow.
Bringing together the experience of business leaders, academic rigour and the perspective of those shaping public policy, the conference reaffirmed Católica Porto School of Business and Economics’ commitment to placing itself at the heart of the debate on the future of the Portuguese economy.
This is, after all, a debate that is part of the Executive MBA’s DNA. The programme’s 23rd edition starts in October, combining international experiences at ESADE and through the EMBA Consortium, including an immersive week at one of the consortium’s partner schools, with Plus+2, which provides participants with continued support for two years after completing the MBA, through content updates and individual coaching. It is a programme designed to develop leaders with the vision and tools to face head-on the growth challenges confronting Portuguese organisations today. Find out more here.
