For the first time, Católica Porto School of Business and Economics welcomed participants from different nationalities and parts of the world to Porto as part of the EMBA Consortium. Over the course of a week, classes, company visits and experiences beyond the classroom brought professionals from across the globe together, highlighting one of the central dimensions of the Executive MBA’s international outlook.
Internationalisation is about crossing borders, but it is also about bringing different geographies together in the same place. That is exactly what happened at Católica Porto School of Business and Economics, which welcomed, for the first time, participants from partner schools within the EMBA Consortium for an immersive week in Porto.
The experience combined academic learning, company visits and networking opportunities, giving participants the chance to explore different aspects of Portugal’s business and economic landscape. Throughout the week, they visited EDP, Liga Portugal and Sogrape, discovered the Douro through a sailing experience with BB Douro, and visited The Yeatman, where they took part in a session with Chris Forbes, Deputy Managing Director.
More than simply discovering Porto, the week offered participants an opportunity to understand the context in which the city, its companies and the school operate — and to do so from the perspective of people arriving from different parts of the world. This exchange lies at the heart of the EMBA Consortium, an international network bringing together 16 business schools across 16 time zones, connecting professionals and institutions through their Executive MBA programmes.
For Católica Porto SBE, this international dimension goes beyond welcoming participants from partner schools. Membership of the Consortium also enables its own Executive MBA participants to gain academic and professional experiences in different parts of the world. Much like the week hosted in Porto, Católica Porto SBE participants have already taken part in immersive weeks organised by partner schools, with experiences in China, Japan, Germany and the United States, among other destinations.
This exchange is where internationalisation becomes tangible: bringing the world to Porto and taking our students out into the world. Across different geographies, they engage with companies, faculty, business leaders and peers from different backgrounds, adding new perspectives to the Executive MBA experience.
The week in Porto was another expression of this dynamic. Between classes, companies, culture and networking, different geographies came together within the same programme, showing that an international experience is not only about crossing borders. It is also about bringing different perspectives together, sharing experiences and becoming part of the same global network.
This international experience is now an integral part of the Executive MBA programme, strengthening a dimension that extends beyond the classroom and enables participants to build a professional network with a truly global reach.
Find out more about the Executive MBA and discover how this international experience could become part of your journey.
