This Wednesday, October 11, Católica Porto Business School (CPBS) hosted the initial session of its top programme aimed at developing leaders who can contribute to improving the Portuguese business fabric. The new Executive MBA students were welcomed by the director of CPBS, Rui Soucasaux Sousa, the director of the MBA, Luís Marques, and the executive director of Executive Education, Carlos Vieira.

Rui Sousa began by emphasising the school's three accreditations (EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA), which place it among the best business schools in the world. "Triple accreditation is a guarantee of the highest international quality standards in terms of training, research and impact on society," he emphasised.

For his part, Luís Marques emphasised the important work that has been done over the years. "This effort, from the design of the MBA structure to the careful choice of lecturers, has made it possible to guarantee the satisfaction of our students. It is they who then become true ambassadors for the quality of the education provided by CPBS."

In an initial session marked by a relaxed atmosphere, Carlos Vieira took the opportunity to say that he was proud to have this class in this edition of the MBA. For him, one of the strengths of the Executive MBA is "the involvement of our students, throughout the two years of the course, in this connection that CPBS promotes so well, between practice and research".

Closing the session, Rui Sousa offered words of encouragement: "It's going to be a long journey, with many challenges that you will certainly overcome. In the end, everything will be different, due to the personal and professional development you'll experience."

The first day also included the students taking part in an integration and icebreaking activity, developed by Walking Mentorship. In the afternoon they had the opportunity to listen to the testimony of the CEO and shareholder of XRS Holding, Hugo Ribeiro da Silva, who spoke about his experience as a former MBA student and the importance of the CPBS Corporate Club.

The 19th edition of the CPBS Executive MBA will continue until 2025, with new features such as the Human & Leadership Skills programme, for developing soft skills, which will be extended for another two years beyond the end of the programme.