With thousands of members spread all around the world, working across all industries and sectors, the extraordinary community of the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova Alumni is helping to shape our collective future.

 

Since 2018, the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova Alumni Club has promoted the annual “MBA Hero Awards”, celebrating the achievements of the global alumni community and honoring outstanding alumni that have made a notable positive impact in business and society. The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova Alumni Club delivers two awards to individuals, one acknowledging the accomplishments of an alumnus with a remarkable 10-year career after graduation and the other highlighting the impressive record and promising career of one of the community’s rising stars. The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova Alumni Club also delivers an award to a company or institution that is particularly supportive of the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova community and also has a positive impact on society.

 

This year’s online event took place on Thursday evening, March 25th, with opening remarks by Daniel Traça, Dean at Nova SBE. He shared his thoughts on impact, and the role that universities play in ideating change. “Universities can only truly act through the choices that their graduates go out and make in the real world”. He expresses his feelings of appreciation and pride in seeing the graduates of the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova recognized by the awards from their impactful successes. Filipe Santos, Dean at Católica-Lisbon, noted the importance of honoring “the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova community that we want to continue building and developing – a community of students, faculty, and graduates supporting each other, organizing great events and building networks to have a collective global impact”. In her introductory remarks, Cristina Campos, President of the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova Alumni Club, applauded the near to 100 participants for the amazing feat of recreating the event in a virtual setting, with persistence and resilience.

 

In his key note address, Professor Miguel Pina e Cunha, shared his insightful thoughts on leadership as a journey of development and paradox “inviting the audience to think of the leadership as a paradoxical journey; a journey in which we grow, we learn but sometimes we are faced with some difficulties and some painful moments. (His) idea is that successful leaders are probably ones that know how to navigate smoothly through these tensions or paradoxical challenges they face. To a great extent, the life of managers consists of trying to find ways of balancing opposite dimensions.”

 

The 10-Year Career Award was awarded to Nuno Costa, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft Headquarters in US. He humbly accepted, crediting his time at the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova as a transformational moment for him personally and professionally. He highlighted the “intensity of collaboration of people with different backgrounds” during the MBA brought him personal growth and maturity that he has carried forward in his exceptional international career.

 

The Rising Star Award was bestowed on Diogo Medina, Associate Director of Government Affairs & Policy at Gilead Sciences International, who thanked the alumni community and dedicated his award “to the many women that have inspired (him) in one way or another. Humbly thanking the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova Alumni Club, he highlighted “the great work that the women from (his) MBA cohort are doing.” He also described his post MBA career shift from clinical work as an MD to the managing ranks in Pharma as a sign of the times, and of the potential for the MBA to do good in the world – he sees his nomination and win as proof that Corporate Social Responsibility matters.

 

Susana Quintana Plaza, Executive Board Member & COO at Galp Energia, was thrilled to accept the Community Award on Galp’s behalf. She shared an anecdote from her positive experience with MBA students from the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova, namely through the International Consulting Lab initiative, which reinforced her hopes “that this partnership, continues for many years to come.” She declared it “the perfect example of partnership between industry and universities, a complete win-win.”

 

The Executive Director of Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova, Maria José Amich, brought the event to a close with remarks on the Lisbon MBA Catolica|Nova’s mission, “to develop global leaders capable of making a positive impact in the world.” Highlighting that the “power and the quality of the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova is measured by the success of its alumni”, she praised the event for showcasing alumni who have achieved success “not only by developing an exceptional and promising career path, but above all by making a difference, in the way you lead, in your organizations, with the people you work with, and in society.”