Entrepreneur and alumnus of the Bachelor's Degree in Management at Católica Porto Business School, with a career marked by strategic consulting and innovation in the health sector, Tiago Guardão has built a fast-paced career that took him from banking and consulting to creating his own business project, focused on democratising access to medicine. Read the full interview:
How did you come to choose a degree in Management and Católica Porto Business School? The choice of Católica Porto Business School was made on my father's advice. He suggested Católica, which had excellent references, and I trust him a lot. I did my research and confirmed it. It was the right choice.
During your degree, you stood out for your academic merit and involvement in the Católica Porto Investment Club. How did this experience contribute to your career and the way you view work and discipline today? Along with academic performance, joining associations is the best way to meet and follow future leaders. Whether it's CPIC or another association. Furthermore, I believe that companies see involvement in associations as proof that a person can manage multiple commitments without compromising quality. For me, that was precisely what it was: a test of discipline, which I tried to maintain after university.
You started your career at Banco Carregosa, worked at Randstad and PwC, and became a Senior Associate at BCG in less than two years. How would you describe such a rapid career progression? How was it possible? BCG became an intermediate step in my career and the ‘beacon’ that triggered everything else. After Erasmus in Italy and Professor Bernardo Marques' intensive mock-interview course at Católica Porto Business School, it became clear that my goal was to work in consulting for a few years (and, if it were at an “MBB”, even better). From then on, I tried to make every decision that would bring me one step closer to that goal. That involved a Master's Degree at Bocconi, an internship at PwC and the Bocconi consulting club, for example.
You are currently an entrepreneur and are innovating in the democratisation of access to medicine. Why did you decide to move into this area, which is so different from your training, and what have been the main challenges? With many healthcare professionals in my family, I have always had a close relationship with the industry. After a life challenge that left me bedridden for a few months, I started to learn more about longevity. Coincidentally, I met my co-founders just as I was leaving BCG to start my own company, and we had similar ideas. The timing was perfect. As for challenges, being a B2C start-up (for now), growing organically, bootstrapping, and with a small team, the biggest challenge has been distribution and marketing. It's a process of “learning by doing”, which, in my opinion, is the best way of upskilling.
How did Católica Porto Business School contribute to your personal and professional development?
In three different ways:
The teaching staff has a special rapport with the students and seeks to ensure everyone's success.
The greater focus on the practical component vs. other faculties. Courses such as Multidisciplinary Project I and II developed me as a person and a professional, from the point of view of critical thinking and teamwork.
My colleagues, some of whom have become close friends and highly successful professionals. Católica Porto Business School trains leaders.
What has been your biggest professional challenge so far? I believe that entrepreneurship will become the biggest challenge, but since it is still in its early stages, I have to mention my time at BCG. It was a time that helped me explore my personal and professional limits, solve problems that I previously thought impossible, and allowed me to learn more than I ever thought possible, with a group of talent so concentrated that it is difficult to describe.
Favourite book or podcast: "Outlive" by Peter Attia. Recommended by my friend and colleague at Católica Porto Business School, João Fernandes. Related to health and longevity, it is a book I recommend to everyone.
Notable figure at Católica Porto Business School: Professor Margarida Alves (Mathematics). I already had a special fondness for mathematics in secondary school, and Professor Margarida ensured that this fondness did not disappear!
Personal curiosity: Iron Man since October 2025.
