Last Tuesday, Católica Porto Business School participated as an institutional sponsor in Connecting Healthcare, the annual conference dedicated to the healthcare sector. The event was organised by Seal Group – a partner of the School and member of our Business Club – in partnership with ULS Matosinhos.
With the theme "Human Revolution - Healthy Development in the Age of Disruption", the conference brought together professionals and experts in the field to reflect on the challenges of sustainable growth. Throughout the day, the various panels addressed the role of leaders, organisations and communities in building a more resilient, ethical and humane society - themes that are at the heart of our School's mission.
The opening session featured speeches by Sérgio Almeida (founder of Seal Group) and António Taveira Gomes (chairman of the Board of Directors of ULS Matosinhos), and included a special message from the director-general of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom.
The deanof Católica Porto Business School, João Pinto, was part of the panel "Strategies for Global Leadership in a Disruptive World", where he shared his vision on the transformative role of education in training conscious leaders. "Nowadays, a leader has to lead with their mind and heart. It is necessary to combine technical skills with empathy, compassion and a sense of ethics. That is what we seek in our programmes - to train leaders with impact, prepared for global challenges".
The panel also included the Indian Ambassador to Portugal, Puneet Roy Kundal, and Croatia's Special Envoy for Climate Action, Marija Pujo Tadić, moderated by Fátima Araújo, a journalist from RTP.
The conference also featured highlights such as the keynote "The World Upside Down", given by José Alberto Azeredo Lopes, professor at the Faculty of Law of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto and former Minister of Defence, who addressed current geopolitical dynamics and the social paradoxes of contemporary times.
In the session "War or Peace: what can we expect from the future?", doctor and activist Carlos Umaña - 1985 Nobel Peace Prize winner and co-president of IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) - warned of the risks of global instability and highlighted the urgency of ethical and globally conscious leadership.
The panel "Challenges and Opportunities in the Development of People and Communities" brought together Pedro Góis (Migration Observatory), Liliana Sousa (Order of Nutritionists) and Rui Pedroto (Manuel António da Mota Foundation) in a discussion on inclusion, public health and sustainable development.
The session was closed by Carlos Manuel Amorim da Mouta, vice-president of the Matosinhos City Council, who highlighted the importance of collaboration between institutions to face the challenges of the future.
