Turn disruption into strategic advantage.

"In a world where energy, critical materials and geopolitics are being redrawn in real time, the "Competitiveness & Innovation in Energy Transition (SPARK)" empowers senior leaders to turn disruption into strategic advantage. From the Strait of Hormuz to the growing contest between the US, China and the EU over control of supply chains, capital and technological leadership, the program offers a rigorous, high-impact perspective on the decisions that will define competitiveness, resilience and growth in the coming decades."

The global transition in energy and critical materials is reshaping industries, economies and policy agendas, forcing organizations to navigate high-stakes decisions, trade-offs, geopolitical tensions and critical raw-material dependencies.

A high-impact executive journey for leaders seeking to turn the new energy order into strategic advantage. This program is designed for companies whose value chains are highly exposed to energy prices, transition dynamics and critical-materials dependencies.

The Competitiveness & Innovation in Energy Transition (SPARK) deconstructs the new energy order around three strategic imperatives:

1. Energy Systems in transition > where decarbonization, resilience and competitiveness intersect.
2. Business Model and Policy Innovation > where critical dependencies, AI and digital tools reshape strategic advantage.
3. Applied Leadership > where real cases and collaborative problem-solving turn knowledge into action.

Who this program is for:

 

Business Leaders
C-level executives, directors and senior managers of organizations exposed to the impacts of the energy and climate transition.

Strategy, Sustainability, Operations and Innovation Leaders
Those responsible for strategy, sustainability, operations or innovation who lead their organizations' adaptation to the energy transition.

Policy, Institutional and Regulatory Decision-Makers
Those responsible for public policy, energy, environment and regulation.

Specialists and Advisors seeking an integrated view
Professionals in energy systems, critical materials, geopolitics, consulting or related areas.

Target sectors: Industry & manufacturing • Transport & mobility • Energy & utilities • Technology & AI • Consulting & advisory • Infrastructure & Environment • Public sector & regulation • Finance & investment

What makes this program transformational:

1. A complete strategic picture of the new energy order - from decarbonisation pathways and critical material supply chains to geopolitical power shifts and global market dynamics.
2. Competitiveness and innovation as the primary lens - not sustainability as an add-on, but as the engine of business model reinvention, resilience, and long-term value creation.
3. AI, digital tools, and advanced analytics applied to real strategic decisions - not as standalone themes, but woven into every module as practical instruments of competitive advantage.
4. The ability to read and shape the policy and regulatory landscape - understanding how incentives, market design, and macro trends translate into investment decisions and organisational strategy.
5. Learning at the level of real decisions - through exclusive roundtables with senior executives and policymakers actually shaping the energy transition, bringing their dilemmas, trade-offs, and strategic choices directly into the room."

Program Structure

 

Module I

THE GLOBAL LANDSCAPE OF ENERGY AND CRITICAL MATERIALS

Mapping the new order of energy and materials – who shapes it, how it is changing and where the strategic risks lie.

Energy as a strategic asset, growth engine and geopolitical lever.
OPEC+, the IEA, the EU, the US, China and Big Tech as forces shaping the system.
Oil and gas market structures, supply-and-demand dynamics and transition pathways.
Power systems, renewables, storage and AI-driven disruption.
Critical raw materials, circularity, supply risk and value-chain security.
 

Module II

UNLOCKING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS TRANSITION

Turning disruption into business advantage through adaptive strategy, business model innovation and AI.

AI and digital tools as catalysts for new business and new value creation.
Adaptive business models, designed for volatility and resilience.
Strategy in a context of disruption, with sustainability as a competitive lever.
Value proposition design, customer focus and execution discipline.
Scaling innovation into market-ready, growth-oriented business models.

Module III

STRATEGIC APPROACHES TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS TRANSITION

Decarbonizing with commercial logic – balancing transition, competitiveness and sector-specific realities.

Mobility, electrification and low-carbon transport.
Hard-to-abate industries and the economics of deep decarbonization.
Consumer and agri-industrial sectors facing the operational transition.
Circular business models in fashion and packaging.
Energy, water, waste, hospitality and the built environment as front lines of the transition.
 

Module IV

MARKETS, COMPETITIVENESS AND POWER POLITICS

Navigating regulation, policy and influence as strategic levers in a world of industrial and geopolitical competition.

Non-market strategies, advocacy and reputation management.
Regulation and policy as drivers of innovation and competitiveness.
The interplay between markets, institutions and industrial policy.
Power politics, alliances, fragmentation, war and sanctions.
Strategic positioning in a world shaped by geopolitical competition.

Module V

GRAND STRATEGY IN A WORLD OF GEOPOLITICS, FINANCE AND POWER

Making board-level decisions in a world defined by capital pressure, geopolitical risk and systemic uncertainty.

Geopolitical shifts and their impact on energy and materials supply chains.
The rise of China and the reconfiguration of global power.
Just transition, equity and legitimacy in strategic execution.
Finance, project finance, investment decisions and ESG impact.
High-stakes negotiation and power politics under real pressure.
 

Module VI

FROM VISION TO IMPACT: CAPSTONE, LEADERSHIP AND FUTURE PATHWAYS

Turning knowledge into action through executive leadership, final pitches and a personal roadmap for impact.

Boardroom-style final pitches that test strategic clarity and execution.
Reflection on leadership, synthesis and decision-making under pressure.
A personalized roadmap for future leadership impact.
Capstone integration of strategy, innovation and transition thinking.
High-level networking and the closing executive forum.

Spark Closing Event

Gala Dinner and Closing Toast: Wine Tasting Masterclass by Frederico Vilar Gomes

 

Faculty

Francisco Barreiros

Francisco Barreiros

 

Program Director

António Costa Silva

António Costa Silva

 

Former Minister of Economy and the Sea; Former Chairman of Partex

António Mexia

António Mexia

 

Former CEO of EDP and former Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications

Paula Abreu Marques

Paula Abreu Marques

 

Deputy Director and Head of Unit, European Commission – DG Energy

João Diogo Marques da Silva

João Diogo Marques da Silva

 

co-CEO, GALP

Teresa Abecasis

Teresa Abecasis

 

Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, CRH

João Castello Branco

João Castello Branco

 

Independent Director, Corticeira Amorim; Chairman of the Board of Banco CTT

Filipe de Botton

Filipe de Botton

 

Executive Chairman, Logoplaste

Carlos Moedas

Carlos Moedas

 

Mayor of Lisbon

Sandra Silva

Sandra Silva

 

CEO, Veolia Portugal

Miguel Monjardino

Miguel Monjardino

 

International Affairs Commentator and Professor of Geopolitics, UCP-IEP

António Carmona Rodrigues

António Carmona Rodrigues

 

CEO, Águas de Portugal

Assunção Cristas

Assunção Cristas

 

Partner, Vieira de Almeida

Want to know more?

Contact the program manager: