Competitiveness & Innovation in Energy Transition

Empowering leaders to turn the energy transition into competitive advantage

In a world where energy, critical materials, and geopolitics are being redrawn in real time, SPARK | CIENERGY equips senior leaders to turn disruption into strategic advantage. From the Strait of Hormuz to the intensifying US-China-EU contest for supply chains, capital, and technological leadership, the programme offers a rigorous, high-impact lens on the decisions that will define competitiveness, resilience, and growth in the decades ahead. Built for C-level executives, policymakers, and strategic decision-makers, it combines market insight, policy intelligence, and business model innovation to help participants lead with clarity in an era where security, sustainability, and sovereignty are inseparable.

The SPARK Executive Program embodies five core principles essential for leadership success in this dynamic field:

Strategic thinking to navigate competitive global markets,
Powering growth and innovation with actionable insights,
Advancement through Technology, AI, Business Model Innovation, and Sustainability,
Resilience in adapting to Geostrategic and Geopolitical uncertainty and rapid change,
Knowledge grounded in Just Energy Transition principles and Non-Market Strategies.

Who is this program for:

• C-level executives, directors and senior managers in sectors linked to energy and climate transition.

• Strategy, sustainability, operations and innovation leaders looking to integrate the energy transition into the corporate agenda.

• Public policy, energy, environment and regulation officials with influence over regulatory frameworks and incentives.

• Professionals working in energy systems, environmental transition, critical materials or geopolitics seeking an integrated and up-to-date perspective.

• Target sectors: energy, utilities, industry, transport, technology, consulting, mobility, environment, public sector and infrastructure.

What makes this program transformational:

• Develop a strategic vision for global energy systems, with deep understanding of the energy transition, critical materials, value chains and geopolitical factors.

• Integrate competitiveness, innovation and sustainability through frameworks that balance environmental impact, economic growth and organizational resilience.

• Apply technology, AI and advanced business models to turn data into strategic decisions using analytical tools and Business Model Innovation.

• Interpret policies, regulation and macro trends, with the ability to navigate markets, public policies and financial instruments linked to the energy transition.

• Solve real-world challenges through case studies, simulations and hands-on exercises in an approach that converts knowledge into strategy, solutions and measurable impact.

Program Structure

Module I – Global Energy & Critical Materials Landscape

1) Energy Systems & Competitiveness
2) Oil & Gas in Transition
3) Electricity & Power Systems
4) Critical Materials & Circularity

Module II – Unlocking Business Opportunities

1) Business Model Innovation & Tech Toolbox
2) Competitiveness & Adaptive Capabilities
3) Advanced BMI & AI Applications
4) Pitch 1: Value Proposition & Customer Segments

Module III – Strategic Approaches to Energy Challenges

1) Decarbonizing Mobility
2) Mobility Use Case (BMW)
3) Decarbonizing Power
4) Power Use Case (Enel-X)
5) Decarbonizing Industry & Buildings
6) Simulation: Industry & Buildings

Module IV – Markets, Finance & Regulation

1) Finance & ESG Impact
2) Regulation & Policy Frameworks

Module V – Grand Strategies, Geopolitics & Non-Market

1) Grand Strategies & Geopolitics
2) Just Energy Transition
3) Non-Market Strategies
4) War Game Simulation

Module VI – From Vision to Impact

1) Capstone Pitch – Parte I e II
2) Leadership Roadmap 1h30
3) CEO Fireside Chat & Graduation

Faculty

Francisco Barreiros

Program Director

Ângelo Ramalho

Former CEO, EFACEC

António Baldaque da Silva

Faculty Member at CATÓLICA-LISBON

António Carmona Rodrigues

CEO, Águas de Portugal

António Costa Silva

Chairman and Former Minister of Economy, Partex

Assunção Cristas

Partner, Vieira de Almeida

Cláudia Antunes Marante

Faculty Member at CATÓLICA-LISBON

David Lopes

COO, Bondalti

Filipe Serzedelo

CEO, EGEO S.G.P.S.

Teresa Abecassis

Senior Vice-President of Enterprise Strategy, CRH

Vera Herédia Colaço

Director of the Executive Degree in Commercial and Retail Management

João Nuno de Sottomayor Pinto de Castello Branco

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Banco CTT

What Our Experts Say

Francisco Barreiros

Program Director

"In a context of energy disruption and geopolitical tension, the Competitiveness & Innovation in Energy Transition (SPARK) empowers leaders to transform uncertainty into competitive advantage."

Want to know more?

Contact the program manager:

E-mail: andreia.hidalgo@ucp.pt
Phone: +351 214 269 846

CATÓLICA-LISBON