Jornal de Negócios Special MBAs – The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova
The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova was featured in the special edition of MBAs of Jornal de Negócios, emphasizing its transformative educational approach centered on innovation and entrepreneurship, aiming to shape global leaders.
The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova was featured in the special edition of MBAs of Jornal de Negócios, emphasizing its transformative educational approach centered on innovation and entrepreneurship, aiming to shape global leaders.
The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova is much more than a traditional MBA program, integrating three business schools that offer an experience across three different campuses (CATÓLICA-LISBON, Nova SBE, and MIT Sloan). Thus, students have the opportunity to experience the MBA in two cities recognized globally as entrepreneurial hubs, cosmopolitan and open to the world. According to Maria José Amich, Executive Director of The Lisbon MBA, the transformation of business models, technological innovation, sustainability, and purpose are at the core of the programs offered – International MBA and Executive MBA. By continually incorporating current themes into the curriculum, such as artificial intelligence, data analysis, and business ethics, students are prepared to lead and innovate in increasingly dynamic and demanding business environments. One of the distinctive features of The Lisbon MBA is its focus on action learning, allowing students to learn by doing, developing business projects, participating in internships, or consultancy projects, as well as acceleration programs for those students interested in creating their own startup. “Both programs – International MBA and Executive MBA – offer an immersive experience at MIT Sloan, with courses in which MIT is a pioneer worldwide, such as Disciplined Entrepreneurship, with Professor Bill Aulet, repeatedly awarded as the best professor in the United States in this area, and New Digital Business Models and Technological Innovation for Disruptive Strategies, among others,” explains Maria José Amich.
Worldwide recognized programs.
The relevance and recognition of The Lisbon MBA programs are evidenced by their consistent presence in the Financial Times rankings, being the only institution in Portugal to have both MBA Programs, International and Executive, in this ranking and among the top 100 in the world. In the latest 2024 Financial Times Global MBA ranking, The Lisbon MBA International was the fifth program to show the highest increase, ranking 24th in Europe and 74th in the world, standing out in the International Experience criterion, where it ranks as the 4th best in the world, reflecting its strong international component. Maria José Amich also emphasizes the reinforcement of international partnerships, namely with St. Gallen in Switzerland, and Esade in Spain, which have strengthened the current exchange programs with other MBA programs, such as the Fundação Dom Cabral in Brazil, and the University of San Diego in the United States. Through these partnerships, Executive MBA students have access to cutting-edge elective courses, such as Marketing Strategy for the Digital Era, Frictionless Marketing & Omnichannel Strategy, and the Singapore Mission Study, where they can spend five days in Singapore, one of the most dynamic cities in Asia. “Our goal is to train principled global leaders capable of facing the challenges of today’s business world,” says the executive director. This requires constant innovation in programs, curriculum, and partnerships. “Our programs focus on some core competencies: self-awareness, adaptability, and resilience that enable navigation and decision-making in ambiguous situations, creativity that facilitates the search for new solutions to problems,” highlights Maria José Amich.
Diversity of skills and values.
To remain up-to-date and relevant, The Lisbon MBA has closely followed technological advancements and disruptive changes in business. The programs include disciplines focused on managing technological innovation and digital business models, providing students with a deep understanding of business trends and the future, such as Big Data & Data Science for Business Analytics, Artificial Intelligence Impact on Business, Digital Transformation, and Business Models Innovation, articulated with real examples and hands-on projects. “Additionally, there are very relevant elective disciplines for companies, such as Artificial Intelligence Impact on Business, Building Impact Ventures, Data-driven Decision Making and Business Analytics, or Strategic Innovation, focusing on trends and the future,” lists Maria José Amich. Another set of skills is related to building relationships and teams. In addition to the previous competencies, students also have the opportunity to rethink their beliefs about power and values, and how they want to live them in their daily practice. On the other hand, there is also a focus on training negotiation skills in both programs, which help to find innovative and creative solutions to problems, based on diversity of opinions, inclusion, and sustainability.
Encouraging entrepreneurship.
Regarding entrepreneurship, The Lisbon MBA offers a range of resources and mentoring for students who wish to launch their own business projects. The 15-year partnership with MIT Sloan, recognized as a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, provides unique learning and entrepreneurial networking opportunities, while acceleration programs and internships in companies allow students to develop the skills necessary for success as entrepreneurs. Through The Lisbon MBA International program, aimed at high-potential professionals, the executive director of The Lisbon MBA reveals that students spend a month immersed in MIT Sloan in Boston, developing their knowledge in areas such as entrepreneurship, technological innovation, or digital business models.
