After 35 years managing companies in several countries, Nuno Moreira da Cruz, a Law graduate at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, returns to Portugal to prioritize his family and pursue what would make him feel fulfilled, sharing knowledge with CATÓLICA-LISBON students.

Nuno Moreira da Cruz, Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business & Leadership, is highlighted today in the Renascença PODCAST “Negócios com Impacto.”

In an informal conversation that begins with his professional and personal journey, Nuno Moreira da Cruz admits that strategy has always been in his life. “When we reach a certain point in life, it’s important to have some kind of vision of what we can still do” and it is because he wanted to leave a legacy for the future that he saw the crucial connection between business strategy and sustainability.

And this is the connection that meets the essence of the Center for Responsible Business & Leadership at CATÓLICA-LISBON: creating responsible businesses by responsible leaders. By firmly believing in the idea that sustainability is not just an environmental issue, but essential for the survival of companies, Nuno Moreira da Cruz reinforces that at CRBL they value a sustainable world with the claim Planet, People, Profit, “therefore, I felt that there was a lot to do, because I combined my corporate experience with my academic experience of these new sustainability challenges”, says Nuno Moreira da Cruz.

Companies are faced with a situation that forces them to change “at different rhythms, in different industries, in different geographies.” Nuno Moreira da Cruz explains that since the creation of CRBL in 2019, the strategic business world has changed. The Center for Responsible Business & Leadership was created to materialize Dean Filipe Santos vision of creating an institution that promoted significant changes, but to achieve this it was necessary to establish specific units to implement these initiatives. The center was born with a mission, as Nuno Moreira da Cruz says: “to contribute to a society where there are only responsible businesses managed by responsible leaders.”

Complemented by four areas of intervention: Business Case for Action; SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals); Business Purpose and Responsible Leadership, at CRBL Nuno Moreira da Cruz shows clarity in his position “I do not believe in sustainability strategies. Sustainability is the strategy.”

He defends sustainability from a holistic point of view through 3 dimensions: economic, social, and environmental. “It’s not worth planting trees and sending employees to the beach to collect plastic if at the same time, men and women are paid differently, it doesn’t make any sense, things have to be completely holistic and coordinated.” states.

The Center for Responsible Business & Leadership at CATÓLICA-LISBON has a core of 5 people and 12 FTEs. This year the main plans are to conduct a new study on purpose, continue the development of the SDG observatory, start a study on impact accounting and prepare a research note on responsible leadership.

This year's main projects are the launch of the third SDG report, which will have a larger dimension due to the accumulated knowledge, the impact accounting project, focused on measuring how externalities are reflected in the accounts and the already announced project to launch the economic value of the water pact, which was launched on June 19th at a conference at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

The path of those who pass through the CRBL is never truly closed. Nuno Moreira da Cruz is highly sought after by several alumni who contact him as a guide, especially when faced with sustainability challenges in their current professional responsibilities.

Nuno Moreira da Cruz, in addition to being Executive Director at the Center for Responsible Business & Leadership at CATÓLICA-LISBON, currently teaches Business and Business Ethics on MBA, Masters and bachelor’s courses and is also Founder and CEO of NMC and Chairman of CADIn.

Listen to Nuno Moreira da Cruz's interview here