From left to right: Maria José Amich (Executive Director at the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova), Rui Diniz (CEO at CUF) and Paula Lourenço (Careers and Corporate Relations Director)

 

Rui Diniz, CEO at CUF was our guest speaker of the Lisbon MBA Talks with CEOs Cycle, at NOVA SBE campus.

 

 

Rui is the CEO at CUF since January 2021, having been Vice President since 2015 and Executive Board Member since 2010. CUF is a 100% Portuguese company, that celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, and a leading player in the healthcare sector in Portugal. Through its 19 hospitals and clinics, including one of the most remarkable projects in private healthcare in Portugal, CUF Tejo Hospital, it reaches almost 1 million customers across the country. CUF is part of José de Mello SGPS, an economic group that operates in several strategic sectors in Portugal, namely industrial chemicals, senior care, wine production, maintenance services, engineering, and energy.

 

After presenting an overview of CUF, Rui Diniz explored consumer-driven trends: how health is evermore a key part of people’s lives (emphasized by the pandemic); the consumers’ raising expectations regarding availability for access and management of their health in different but integrated channels and platforms, working seamlessly and smoothly; asymmetries in access to healthcare that need to be overcome, whether those asymmetries are related to age, geography or income; expected rising costs in the treatment of increasingly prevalent diseases; and how customers prefer companies that have sustainable practices. Rui went on to explain the healthcare market trends including how the sector has been consolidating itself; the significant growth of the insurance market due to health being a top priority in people’s mind; how there might be a growing but challenging need for public and private cooperation, as seen during Covid-19; and the new players in the sector including companies that operate in completely different sectors, such as Google and Amazon.

 

Rui also shared with the students the key strategic assets at CUF: talent, technology, and brand/network. CUF is driven by having the best professionals and relays heavily on technology. The brand is very important as it reflects the quality of the services provider and the continuous trust of the patients/customers.

 

On a more personal note, Rui Diniz shared with the students his key success factors for his leadership journey which, among other includes a clear vision and direction for the company well aligned with the organization. Students also had the opportunity to learn what are the competencies he looks for when recruiting for his company in order to build teams that are prepared to overcome the different challenges the company continuously faces in this ever-changing context we are living.

 

Before his role at CUF, Rui Diniz was Vice-President at Efacec (a company that operates in the sectors of energy, mobility and environment) and non-executive board member at Brisa (the leading company in highway networks and concessions in Portugal).

 

He started his professional life at McKinsey where he worked for 14 years, having held positions as Consultant, Senior Partner and Office Manager in Portugal. He is also Board Member at Alfredo de Sousa Foundation and Director at ACEGE, Associação Cristã de Empresários e Gestores (Christian Association of Management) and the founder of the Inclusive Community Forum at Nova SBE, an initiative dedicated to the life of people with disabilities that aims to promote a more inclusive community. Rui Diniz graduated from Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon, in Economics.

 

“The Lisbon MBA Talks with CEOs Cycle’ is an initiative led by the Career Management Center of the Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova where students are offered the opportunity to interact and be inspired by C-Level executives who candidly share their experience and leadership journey.