The final episode of the first season of “Impactful Businesses”, a partnership between CATÓLICA-LISBON and Rádio Renascença, introduces us to CATÓLICA-LISBON itself, through the voice of its Dean, Filipe Santos, who has led one of Europe’s top business schools for the past five years.
The success story began in 1972 when the Universidade Católica Portuguesa opened the first undergraduate degree in Business Sciences to the public, later called Management and Business Administration, within the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. In 1989, it became its own Faculty, leading to the creation of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, now known as Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. Fifty years later, CATÓLICA-LISBON holds the 22nd position in the Financial Times European Business Schools Ranking and shapes citizens who are integral, ethical, and value-driven, capable of making a difference in companies, society, and their respective fields.
"CATÓLICA-LISBON was a pioneer not only in Management education but also in the process of internationalization. When a company or sector opens to the global market, everything changes because the level of demand is different. The quality of delivery must be different", Filipe Santos begins by stating.
Every year, the school welcomes “new blood,” fresh ideas, and essentially starts from scratch. In this academic year, the school has received over a thousand students, half of whom are international, from European countries like Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, but also from outside Europe. The professors come from the best schools worldwide, bringing diverse perspectives, developing original research, and sharing essential knowledge in the classroom, enriching the students’ learning experience.
This is the recipe for creating talents and businesses with impact, which not only enhance the consumer experience but also positively influence life trajectories. “Every business and new venture is a process of value creation, and that naturally already has an impact. If I can improve education, and fewer people drop out because I have a new intervention that improves pedagogy, I’m having an impact not only on those individuals but also on the careers they will have”, Filipe Santos explains.
In addition to developing entrepreneurial talents who create economic and social value, CATÓLICA-LISBON, as a “business” with impact, regularly launches initiatives that significantly influence society, some with potential effects on the country’s public policies.
The creation of research centers, such as the Católica Entrepreneurship Center and the Center for Responsible Business & Leadership, are examples of impactful initiatives the school has developed over the past five years. The latter includes projects like the Water Management Pact, which aims at better management of water resources, and the Mental Health in Workplace Pact, which seeks to guide partner companies and implement best practices to promote employees' mental health.
“If I am a manager, entrepreneur, or policymaking economist, I can positively affect millions of people. Learning the tools of economics and management, knowing how to manage resources and projects, lead people, inspire and motivate, multiplies our ability to act. If we can become a country that attracts such talent and create the conditions for it to be productive, we have enormous potential for value creation and economic growth”, he adds.
However, Filipe Santos issues a warning for the future: “We have excellent international students who want to come to CATÓLICA-LISBON, but the process of obtaining residence visas faces significant delays, and this must be resolved. Otherwise, the opportunity to internationalize higher education may be lost. There needs to be significant attention to immigration processes, particularly qualified immigration, because these are people who make a difference, through the talent they bring and their energy to learn, research, and create businesses”.
The final episode of the “Impactful Business” series is available on digital platforms.