The Lisbon MBA had the privilege of welcoming a Sector Panel dedicated to Financial Services. Three big names – Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), Mastercard and PayPal – were represented, at the Nova SBE, by Maria Antónia Saldanha, Country Manager at Mastercard, Madalena Talone, Head of Digital at CGD, and Miguel Duarte Fernandes, Head of PayPal Portugal & Business Development Iberia. Professor Paulo Soares de Pinho, Academic Director and Professor at The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova, having a vast academic and corporate experience in banking, corporate finance, private equity, entrepreneurial finance, and venture capital, moderated the panel.

 

The panelists started by talking about the main trends present in financial services such as how technology is impacting financial services with customers highly adopting digital and mobile allowing banks to serve them better, how data, AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics are facilitating customer intelligence, as well as cyber security and risk management. Competition from fintech companies aggressively entering the market, disrupting the status quo, and offering new solutions was discussed, with panelists embracing their solutions and partnering with the startups, so their innovation can become opportunities and not challenges. The role these companies played during Covid in the life of customers was also shared by the panelists. Unanimously, the panelists considered that people are still an asset for the companies with technology far from replacing the human contribution with some of the companies currently recruiting heavily.

 

Afterward, Professor Paulo Soares de Pinho fostered a vibrant discussion among panelists and participants about consumer trends in the sector and maintaining relevance in different markets, as well as the need for talent in the industry.

 

It was a stimulating and evocative panel. We thank Maria Antónia Saldanha, Madalena Talone and Miguel Fernandes as well as our moderator, Professor Paulo Soares de Pinho, for their excellent contribution and support.

 

The Lisbon MBA Career Management Center organizes talks with C-level executives and senior managers to broaden students’ knowledge of the corporate world, it’s a unique opportunity for Lisbon MBA students to understand the main insights, challenges, and opportunities of corporate sectors.