CATÓLICA-LISBON's 1st Executive Degree in Commercial and Retail Management, a strategic partnership with the Jerónimo Martins Group, has just been named a worldwide finalist in the “Best Business School Partnership 2025” category of the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2025 of the Association of MBAs (AMBA) & Business Graduates Association (BGA).
This category aims to recognize and reward institutions that share AMBA & BGA's passion for building strategic partnerships and that have adopted a proactive and innovative approach to strategic collaboration. This partnership between CATÓLICA-LISBON and Jerónimo Martins is a paradigm shift in higher education, with the first Executive Degree in Portugal, aimed at professionals in the area of Commercial and Retail Management. This innovative program, aimed at professionals and taught online, opens up a new market in executive training. It combines Jerónimo Martins practical experience in the sector with CATÓLICA-LISBON's academic excellence, providing a flexible, relevant and high-quality education. This partnership aims to empower individuals who have not had the opportunity to obtain an academic degree before entering the job market, equipping them with advanced skills and knowledge, promoting innovation and increasing the competitiveness of the sector, while strengthening the role of institutions as leaders in education and industry, shaping the future of retail.
The Executive Degree was developed using an online teaching model with mostly synchronous classes and was accredited by A3ES in 2022. It was launched in September 2023 with a class of 37 employees from Pingo Doce and Recheio, two Jerónimo Martins Group companies, and generated enormous enthusiasm among the students. The Jerónimo Martins Group finances 80% of the tuition fees of its employees who attend this degree, an important investment in the qualification of its human capital.
The 2nd edition of the Executive Degree in Commercial and Retail Management, open to the general public, has already started and has 24 students. The degree is aimed primarily at candidates with professional experience and is designed to enable them to reconcile their professional lives with their university studies.
According to Filipe Santos, Director of CATÓLICA-LISBON, “this is a pioneering project in Portugal that brings together a world-leading Business School with a world-leading retail company like Jerónimo Martins with the aim of strengthening human capital and giving professionals the opportunity to achieve high-quality higher education without interrupting their careers. After careful development of the curriculum and content over two years, including input from Jerónimo Martins experts, and the highly successful launch of the pilot class in September 2023, the degree is now open to civil society. We encourage professionals to apply and companies to participate, empowering their employees and enabling them to develop their careers.”
A decade after CATÓLICA-LISBON was a pioneer in Portugal with the Executive Masters model, it is now launching a new area of training in Portugal with the first Executive Degree, focused on the area of Commercial and Retail Management and taught through online classes with a strong synchronous component, allowing professionals from anywhere in the country or the world to achieve higher education.
Only 6 finalists have been selected worldwide for this award and the winner of the “Best Business School Partnership 2025” category of the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2025 will be announced next January.
The AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards are prizes for excellence awarded by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the Business Graduates Association (BGA), two global organizations dedicated to the development and recognition of MBA programmes and business schools.