Católica Porto Business School analyzes the legacy of Alfredo da Silva

Alfredo da Silva was a great entrepreneur and businessperson, in Portugal and across Europe. His vision, entrepreneurial spirit and ability to realize innovative strategies in Portugal gave birth to a large business group – the CUF Group. As part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of its birth, Católica Porto Business School organized the first conference of a cycle – promoted by the Amélia de Mello Foundation – which analyzed and discussed the recent business history in Portugal.

The session – broadcast online and live – had as its central theme "Business History and its Protagonists", and answered questions such as "Who is behind the business initiative?" or "What is the contribution of young companies to innovation, employment and the product?" The conference was attended by renowned figures from the national business sector, such as Vasco de Mello, president of the Maria Amélia de Mello Foundation, Jorge de Mello, CEO of olive oil company Sovena, Isabel Gonçalves Furtado, CEO of TMG Automotive, and António Rios Amorim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Corticeira Amorim. Geoffrey Jones, a professor at Harvard Business School and an unavoidable name of the research, with numerous publications in the field of business history, was the keynote speaker of the event. In turn, Alberto Castro, a professor at Católica Porto Business School, presented a study of entrepreneurship and its actors, based on about 200 cases of young companies observed by students of Católica Porto Business School.

Isabel Capeloa Gil, Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Vasco de Mello, , president of the Maria Amélia de Mello Foundation, and Pedro Siza Vieira, Portuguese Minister of Economy talked at the opening ceremony. The event was held at the Auditorium Carvalho Guerra, at the Porto Regional Centre, and took place on September 28, at 3 p.m.