Join us as the IPBN highlights Lisbon and Portugal’s dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem at our upcoming conference in Dublin. Scheduled for Thursday, June 20, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC), the event will feature Geoffrey Graham, Chair of the IPBN Board, and Niamh Collins, Director of the GEC.
This conference provides a comprehensive introduction to doing business in Portugal, making it essential for those starting their business journey in the country. Attendees will gain insider insights, crucial information, and key contacts while networking with successful Irish companies operating in Portugal, along with IPBN members and Executive Partners. The event will showcase the vibrancy and diversity of Portugal’s entrepreneurial landscape. Engage in engaging panel discussions and conversations with experts, offering valuable insights into Portugal’s innovation landscape and abundant business opportunities. You can read about panel one here.
Panel two of the conference is entitled “The Power of Technology Transfer and Innovation from Universities/Research Centres to Business.” It will gather insights from the IPBN’s Academic Partners Isabel Braga da Cruz, Pro-Rector at UCP for Porto Regional Centre, Sofia Almeida, Tourism and Hospitality Coordinator of the Universidade Europeia Lisbon, Aine Phelan, Head of Engagement at Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace, Kathy O’Reilly, Academic Director, UCD MSc Management Consultancy. The conversation will be moderated by Carlos Justino, IPBN Member, University of Algarve TEC & Health Campus, Faro.
Isabel Braga da Cruz holds a B.Sc. in Food Engineering from School of Biotechnology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa (1994) and a Ph.D. in Food Science and Engineering in the area of Biotechnology from Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Throughout her career, Isabel has fostered numerous collaborations between industry and academia, promoting and developing technology transfer and R&D projects to seize market and technological opportunities. In her previous roles as Executive Director and Knowledge Director at PortugalFoods, Isabel dedicated her energy to leveraging knowledge as a stimulus to innovation. Isabel also took active roles in key international expansion initiatives for the Portuguese Agro-food industry, with a focus on emerging markets (2010-2016). As an entrepreneur, Isabel is a founder and partner at Wedotech (2006) and Wedoeko (2015). Currently, she is the President of the Regional Center of Porto at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, where she is also an Associate Professor at the School of Biotechnology (2017).
Sofia Almeida holds a PhD in Tourism from the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT) at the Universidade de Lisboa, and a degree in Business Communication. She worked for fifteen years as a Marketing Director at the hotel marketing consortium, ARTEH® Hotels & Resorts, an independent hotel chain with international representation. Since 2002 performs training functions in the areas of Hospitality, Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Training of Trainers. Throughout her professional career, she was responsible for the marketing department of Gente & Viagens Magazine. Sofia was part of the team that created and developed the Tourism Observatory, an organization under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, created to systematize and disseminate the statistics of tourist activity in Portugal. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality (FTH), Universidade Europeia. Her collaboration with this University began in 2009 (ISLA) as a lecturer in the areas of Tourism and Hotel Marketing and Digital Marketing. Her research focuses on the areas of hotel management, networks, coopetition, hotel marketing consortia, tourism marketing, hotel branding, and digital marketing. Sofia is also, a research member of the Centre for Geographical Studies, IGOT, Universidade de Lisboa.
Aine Phelan Strategic is a marketeer with a deep understanding of business issues & how marketing and consumer insight impacts company performance. With an ability to envision unexpected solutions through creative storytelling and experiences, Aine still manages an entrepreneurial approach, taking projects from consumer insight to launch across established corporate organizations ( Glanbia Plc, Vodafone Plc), Commercial Semi-State ( Bord na Mona ) and National & Local Government ( Dept of Housing, Limerick Coco ). She has significant experience coordinating diverse stakeholder groups ( including Regulatory ) to lead and deliver key projects across both key commercial and social enterprise initiatives. Strong leadership capabilities building high-performing, cross-functional teams and proven ability to lead and deliver exceptional strategic, commercial projects resulting in excellent revenue generation as well as stakeholder satisfaction.
Kathy O’Reilly is a Lecturer in the Management subject area at UCD and is the Academic Director for the MSc in Management Consultancy. Kathy also engages in Community Engaged Learning via her Consulting with NGOs module for undergrads and manages the Smurfit MBA Capstone Consulting Projects. In addition to holding CMC certification from the IMCA, Kathy is an Academic Fellow of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI), the global professional body of the management consulting industry. Kathy is currently completing a Doctorate in Higher Education, focusing on the integration of theory and practice in higher education. Before joining UCD, Kathy worked for GE as a Six Sigma Black Belt and delivered some quality projects within GE Capital. From GE, Kathy joined PA Consulting Group’s Government and Public Sector practice, where she specialized in the delivery of HR and training-related projects in Ireland and the UK. Kathy holds an MSc. in International Business from the UCD Michael Smurfit School of Business, and a BA in Philosophy & English Literature from Maynooth University.
Carlos Justino, for whom the IPBN recently published a Spotlight Series interview, will moderate the conversation. Carlos has spent the past 15-16 years working in marketing and technology, primarily within the B2B sector. Over the last three years, his focus has expanded to encompass projects in technology, software development, mobile app creation, and, more recently, AI, all while continuing his marketing career. Currently, Carlos operates from the TEC campus, managed by IPBN partner institution, the University of Algarve, where he is deeply integrated within this startup accelerator environment. In the realm of AI, Carlos collaborates with AWS, Google, and Microsoft, among others, further enhancing the value of his services in this rapidly evolving field.
Don’t miss the opportunity to join us! Registration is still open here, so click and secure your spot!
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