“The energy sector is in a complete and systemic transformation, where not only energy companies have to change their products, but energy consumers need to evolve their habits for all to be successful at the energy transition.” – Emilien Simonot, Head of Renewables & the Energy Management Innovation Center at Galp.
As part of the International MBA program, the Lisbon MBA students have a two-month Action Learning period. During this learning cycle, which is one of our core pillars, our students put into practice the knowledge and competencies they’ve gained in a class by enrolling in a project that is executed in collaboration with a company. One component of the Action Learning is the International Consulting Lab.
With the International Consulting Lab, we aim to give our students the opportunity to learn real-life business dynamics in a multi-cultural context and to put their business management learnings into practice. Students participate in a unique experiential learning initiative that exposes them to an extraordinary combination of a global multicultural environment, self-leadership, and teamwork, working on a real-life business case. From a company’s perspective, it is enriching to partner with global talent from local and international business schools who can bring a fresh perspective to old and new business challenges.
The Lisbon MBA’s International Consulting Lab project for this year was in collaboration with Galp, who once again, in its ambition to play a decisive role in the energy transition, launched a business challenge for the Brazilian market to the students of the international class of the Lisbon MBA. “Driving Regeneration – Galp’s strategy towards a low carbon future” touched on the decarbonization journey in the Brazilian economy, as well as identifying how can the industries with the most impact have a greener future.
A team of students from our International MBA full-time program chose the International Consulting Lab for their Action Learning project and worked with MBA students from Insper, in São Paulo, on an international consulting project for Galp. The team was made up of 6 students from two institutions – Isadora Aragão, Jorge Barreiro, and Jurema Andrade from Insper Brazil and Filipe Bento, Helio Baptista Silva and Waleed Ata from the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova – with very diverse professional backgrounds, in addition to the two professors and project mentors, René Bohnsack and Fábio d’Ávila Carvalho.
The students were honored to present to a panel of Galp’s representatives: Emilien Simonot, Head of Renewables & the Energy Management Innovation Center, and Marco Ferraz, Head of Production & Operations Innovation Center. According to one of our students, Hélio Baptista da Silva, “to have the opportunity to collaborate in this diverse environment is an enriching experience because one gets to incorporate all these perspectives to the same problem”. Furthermore, “the trip to Brazil enabled us to closely work together and draw a detailed roadmap on how and when we will get this done”.
In order to respond to climate and energy challenges, Galp is committed to moving towards a low-carbon economy. The students developed a consultancy project with recommendations on how Galp should better position itself in Brazil as a green energy provider, as a result of extensive market research and fact-checking efforts of both parties. The conclusions of this project were presented last Friday and will be used as guidance for future business decisions by Galp.
Emilien Simonot shared with us his thoughts about the project: “The energy sector is undergoing a complete and systemic transformation, where not only energy companies have to change their products, but energy consumers need to evolve their habits for a successful energy transition. This is even more poignant for businesses and for hard-to-abate industries that are called to completely rethink their productive processes. Retrofitting industries, investing in heavy transformation is set to be a key business concern for years to come – and a key enabler in the fight against climate change. As such, it is vital that future top executives are aware and familiar with it.
That’s where the 2022 International Consulting Lab on the decarbonization of hard to abate industries, set by the Lisbon MBA and Galp comes in. Throughout the two-month project, we demonstrated how MBA students with no specific background on the field are able to grab the subject and develop meaningful emission-reduction action plans while ensuring business continuity. The evolution of external drivers like regulation or finance will surely boost this trend.”
It is based on this statement that the Lisbon MBA and GALP have chosen to develop the 2022 International Consulting Lab on the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries. Throughout the 2-month project, we have demonstrated how MBA students with no specific background in the field are able to grab the subject and develop meaningful emission reduction action plans while ensuring business continuity. The evolution of external drivers like regulation or finance will boost this tendency.”
We thank Galp for partnering with us once again for this year’s International Consulting Lab. Throughout the duration of its programs, The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova, has built relationships and forged networks with some of the most well-respected companies, offers its students numerous opportunities to connect with companies and people from the most diverse backgrounds.
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