Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics annually promotes the Career Award intended to honor one of its Alumni who, in the course of their professional career, have distinguished themselves for their leadership, professionalism, ethics and value creation. The winner of the XIII Edition of this Award is Alexandra Machado.
"Receiving the Career Award, from CATÓLICA-LISBON is a profound but wonderful surprise! Ten years ago, I made a significant career change that led me to embrace a very different path. A path of social impact. The Girl MOVE Academy aims to help Mozambican girls and women become agents of transformative development in society. Knowing that this path is valued as a career example is inspiring for the journey ahead, but also for a new generation of leaders that the world needs. The fact that the Universidade Católica ecosystem bears witness to the importance of social innovation fills me with pride and hope for the future. Thank you, Católica!” With these words, Alexandra Machado thanked CATÓLICA-LISBON for this honorable award.
For the jury, the final decision is consistent with the mission and values of the Career Award. The jury unanimously chose Alexandra Machado as the winner of the 2023 CATÓLICA-LISBON Career Award, "due to the solidity and diversity of her career, having started in Academia and spending more than 25 years in the corporate world, where she played leadership roles at national and international levels in different sectors. Then she decided to embrace the social innovation sector, with a tremendous impact and she has even been highlighted and awarded worldwide. We believe that Alexandra Machado clearly embodies the path of success that CATÓLICA-LISBON aspires to for its Alumni, perfectly aligned with its mission," justifies the panel of judges.
Remember who was the jury for the XIII edition of the Career Award in 2023:
- Vasco de Mello (President)
- Isabel Mota
- Margarida Couto
- Sérgio Rebelo
- Vítor Bento
Alexandra Machado's Profile
Graduated in Management in 1984-1990, Alexandra started out as a Teaching Assistant at CATÓLICA-LISBON from 1988 to 1992. She started her business career in 1990 at Grupo Entreposto as a Product Manager having then spent seven years at Jerónimo Martins as Commercial Director. Subsequently, she spent about a year as Marketing and Sales Director at Oniway.
From 2003 to 2012, Alexandra was Nike's Country Manager in Portugal and Member of the Board of Directors for Nike Iberia, where she was involved in the Girl Effect Movement, of the Nike Foundation. Throughout her career, Alexandra was a strong advocate that women can and should assume leadership positions as agents of change in society, and therefore, she began to research more about the power of women in leading change in developing countries.
After a landmark trip to Mozambique, the Career Award winner realized the country's tremendous potential and the important role that women could play if they were released from the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy. Therefore, in 2013, she decided to leave Nike and co-launch her own social entrepreneurship project, in partnership with Luís Amaral - Girl MOVE Academy.
Girl MOVE is a Leadership Academy based in Nampula, in northern Mozambique, that develops innovative educational models aimed at expanding talent, increasing gender equality and promoting sustainable change in this environment. Alexandra works, primarily, to empower girls and women to be agents of change for the next generation. After 10 years of dedication to this project, the awardee has created a Leadership Academy which has already trained over 300 Mozambican female university students to become innovation leaders and change agents in their country and has empowered over 10,000 girls to reduce child motherhood and improve their academic performance.
In 2018, Alexandra was named an Ashoka Fellow in recognition of her role as a social entrepreneur, and in 2021 she received the UNESCO World Best Project for Women's Education. Her non-profit organization, which seeks to make the model economically viable, already has more than 50 employees dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through education and women's leadership.
Alexandra Machado's career thus represents a unique combination of success in the business world, combined with a career as an impact entrepreneur, who has created an original and innovative solution, recognized worldwide, for empowering and qualifying women in developing countries.
This is a path and impact that reflect well the values of CATÓLICA-LISBON and its Alumni community, and it is an honor to award the 2023 Career Award this year, in which CATÓLICA- LISBON also celebrates its 50th anniversary as a pioneering school in Portugal in the field of undergraduate business administration and management.
CATÓLICA-LISBON warmly congratulates Alexandra Machado for this honorable and well-deserved distinction and is proud to contribute to her innovative and impactful path.