Every year, as part of the History of Business and Entrepreneurship module of the Management Undergraduate Degree, Católica Porto Business School welcomes leaders and entrepreneurs who share real stories of those who shape the Portuguese business landscape. With these regular meetings, Alberto Castro, who teaches the course, aims to offer students opportunities to learn through the testimonies of those who lead, create and transform organisations.
Last week, we welcomed Sonae CEO and former student Cláudia Azevedo as our guest speaker. A graduate of our Bachelor Degree in Management, she gave students a first-hand account of her career path.
With over 30 years of experience in the Sonae group, Cláudia Azevedo has been CEO since 2019, after leading areas such as technology, consumption, telecommunications and investments. She was responsible for Sonae Investment Management for almost two decades and later took over the leadership of Sonae Capital. Currently, in addition to serving as the CEO of Sonae, she also chairs the Boards of several companies within the group. In addition to her degree from Católica Porto Business School, her education includes an MBA from INSEAD and executive programmes at Harvard and Stanford.
During the session, Cláudia Azevedo shared her career path and reflected on the growth and future of Sonae, emphasising that she does not see it solely as a family business. She also spoke about the group's culture, which she said is marked by a strong sense of unity, a spirit of resourcefulness, and the ability of teams to come together to find solutions.
Her presentation aligned with the course's objective: to bring students closer to real business stories and provide testimonials that allow them to reflect on the trajectories, decisions, and challenges of management in both the Portuguese and international contexts.
In the past, we have welcomed various personalities such as the President of the Mota-Engil group, Carlos Mota Santos, the CEO of the DST group, José Teixeira, the CEO of the Bernardo da Costa group, Ricardo Costa, and the President and CEO of Quinta Nova – Nossa Senhora do Carmo and Taboadella, Luísa Amorim. The next guest has also been confirmed: Alexandre Santos, President of Startup Portugal.
About the History of Business and Entrepreneurship course in the Bachelor in Management
For over 25 years, it has sought to bring students closer to the reality of business through three dimensions: the study of the history of companies and capitalism, direct contact with those who create and manage businesses, and the analysis of companies that have been in the market for less than five years.
Over the years, the course has been attended by prominent figures from the Portuguese business world, emerging leaders, including former students. The testimonials are intentionally personal and transparent. Guests are encouraged to share challenges, mistakes, resilience and decisive moments, allowing students to develop critical thinking, create empathy and realise that the entrepreneurial path is rarely linear.
Alberto Castro, who teaches the course, was the first Dean of Católica Porto Business School between 1991 and 2000, scientific coordinator of the International MBA between 2011 and 2018, and is currently non-executive director of the Consulting Unit in Management and Applied Economics (CEGEA) and Visiting Professor.
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Find out more about our Bachelor Degrees: https://catolicabs.porto.ucp.pt/undergraduate
