11 OCT

Nuno Fazenda was born in Covilhã in 1976.​

Holds a PhD from the Higher Technical Institute in Regional and Urban Planning - in Tourism, a master's degree from the University of Aveiro in Environmental Management and Policies and a degree in Tourism from the University of Algarve.​

Has worked at the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission, between 2001 and 2014, in Porto. In this context, he was expert-coordinator of the Regional Tourism Agenda – Action Plan for the Development of Tourism in the Northern Region and coordinator of the Douro Valley Tourism Development Plan.​

Was director of the Department of Management of Community Programs in Tourism of Portugal (2014-2019), having been responsible for coordinating the national tourism strategy in force – Tourism Strategy 2027, as well as for the areas of regional development and management of European programs.​

Was also a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of the Côa Parque Foundation.​

Nuno Fazenda was elected by the district of Castelo Branco to the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, namely in the XIV legislature, having integrated the Parliamentary Committees of (i) Economy, Innovation, Public Works and Housing, (ii) the Eventual Commission for the  monitoring  the  implementation  of  pandemic  response  measures for​

Covid-19 disease and the process of economic and social recovery and (iii) the Committee on the Environment, Energy and Spatial Planning, having been the coordinator of the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party in this Committee.​

He was re-elected as a member of parliament for the current parliamentary term and assumed the duties of Chairman of the Parliamentary Sub-Committee for the monitoring of European funds and the PRR.​

Also worked as an international expert at the World Centre of Excellence of Destinations.​

Nuno Fazenda has been a professor at the Portuguese Catholic University in Tourism for more than a decade, namely in academic degree lecture courses, as well as in the training of executives at the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics.​

Nuno Fazenda is currently Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services of the XXIII Constitutional Government, appointed on December 2nd, 2022.

Cristina Santos is the Property Management & Leasing Executive Director at Sonae Sierra since 2021, as well as a member of the Sustainability Steering Committee. Previously, she was Managing Director of Property Management for Iberia, with responsibilities across Property Management and Leasing. Between 2012 and 2016 she held the same role for Portugal. Prior to that, Cristina was the Director of NorteShopping, after joining the company to be Deputy Director of GaiaShopping in 1995.​

Currently Cristina Santos is also chairwoman of the Portuguese Council of Shopping Centers (APCC), an association with more than 140 associated companies.

Professor of Macroeconomics at Nova SBE since 2015, he has published in scientific journals such as the Journal of Monetary Economics and the Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, having also contributed to the second edition of the Handbook of Macroeconomics with a chapter on economic cycles.

He is leads and/or participates in several research projects funded by institutions such as the Norwegian Research Council, Foundation for Science and Technology and Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos. Also leads several consulting projects for Economics for Policy, a Knowledge Center of Nova SBE. These typically cover sectorial impact studies, public entities capacitation programs, national and foreign.

Pedro Brinca also is a regular contributor with comments and articles in the media, namely tv, radio and printed/online press.

Carl is a business strategist and executive advisor with over 25 years of hands-on operational, marketing, merchandising and retail executive experience. He has worked across a full array of business environments from the very large, such as 10 years with Costco Wholesale to working as commercial applications lead for a global B2B security technology company. In both, managing product portfolios and emerging go-to-market strategies.

As the founder of StudioRx, he advises executives, B2C/B2B solution providers, commercial real estate developers and all types of retail ecosystem partners on how to tailor their solutions according to customers’ evolving needs and build effective commercial strategies to meet them.

He is the principal advisor for the Bensadoun Retail Innovation Lab at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He is also, the lead marketing instructor at the McGill University Executive Institute, course instructor at McGill Masters in Retail Innovation (emerging technologies and new business models) and adjunct marketing faculty at Asian Institute of Technology MBA School of Management.

He is a regular contributor to CBC/Radio-Canada, BNN Bloomberg TV, CBC News, Radio Canada Premiere and CTV News.

In 2021 he published his first book; The Great Acceleration - on how the Covid-19 pandemic rapidly propelled digital transformations and the business strategies to address the challenges that followed.

Daniela Braga is the founder and CEO of Defined.ai, one of the fastest growing startups in the AI space. She has been the recipient of several awards, including the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific Northwest 2020 Award, #27 Deloitte Fast 500 2020 (#1 in the Pacific Northwest region); #27 in Inc.5000 in 2020, and Goldman Sachs Most Intriguing 100 Entrepreneurs in 2021.

She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network as a Tech Pioneer and AI Expert in WEF Davos 2022. She’s also a YPO and a Chief member. Daniela Braga has raised over $80 million of Venture Capital, making her the woman founder in AI who has raised more capital in the world.

Daniela Braga has been appointed to the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Resource Task Force, a 12-person body that advises the US president on the AI strategy of the United States. She is also an advisor to the President of Portugal.

Howard has been influencing retail for over thirty years. A former Creative Director of Fitch, responsible for design and branding.​

Over the last decade, based in both London and New York, Howard has focused on helping his clients plan for the future. His current list of clients includes Johnson & Johnson, Hutchison Whampoa, Ikea, Magento, Oracle, Telstra and Westfield. As an international speaker Howard’s talks are lively, jargon-free, visual journeys that help explain where the fast-changing retail world is heading, and what it means for our cities, towns, high streets and, most importantly, our communities.​

Howard's latest book Brooklynization examines the retail revolution that’s regenerating the edgier parts of town. 

Anne Katherina Weidenbach is Cabinet Member of Commissioner Simson, where she is in charge of advising on energy efficiency, energy storage, governance of the Energy Union, National Energy and Climate Plans, consumer empowerment, legal enforcement and competition/state aid. Before joining the Cabinet, Anne worked as Policy Officer in DG ENER (Energy Efficiency Unit).

Prior to joining the European Commission, she was assistant head of section at the German Federal Regulatory Authority in the area of energy. Before that, Anne had worked several years as attorney-at-law focusing on competition law, telecoms and energy law.

Anne is a fully qualified lawyer and holds a master´s degree in the Law of European Integration (LL.M.).

Eike has more than 10 years of experience in strategy consulting and decarbonization in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East. He leads the development sustainability and net zero carbon strategies and implementation roadmaps for clients in the retail and consumer goods industries. Moreover, Eike has been working with sustainability institutions like the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Prior to Accenture, Eike worked for Bain & Company for 6 years.

Nuno Lacasta has been working on environment and sustainable development for over 20 years in Europe and in the United States. Since 2012 he’s been serving as CEO of APA - the Portuguese Environment Agency.​

He worked for academia and NGOs and as consultant for international organizations such as the OECD, the UN and the European Commission.​

Mr. Lacasta has been in public service since 2003, having led the Portuguese Environment Ministry’s International Department, coordinated Portugal’s climate policy and directed the Portuguese Carbon Fund.​

In his capacity at APA he served as Bureau member of the EEA - European Environment Agency, and as OECD Environmental Policy Committee’s Chair.​

He holds a Law degree from Lisbon University Law School, a post-graduated degree (LLM) from the Washington College of Law/American University, as well as the Advanced Management Program (AMP) from Kellogg Business School / Católica Business School.

​Sofia Santos is an economist specializing in green, climate and sustainable finance with 23 years of professional experience. She began her career 1997 in the research department of Merrill Lynch and has worked for Reuters, Bloomberg, INE and CELPA. In 2004, he founded the consulting company Sustentare, and in 2013, Systemic, where he has developed projects in the area of sustainability for various companies and institutions in Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau. ​

She is a consultant for the African region of the United Nations Green Climate Fund and in Climate and Sustainability Finance on various projects for the French Development Agency and a Social Innovation Fund Investment Committee member. ​

She was General Secretary of BCSD Portugal - Portuguese Business Council for Sustainable Development; Specialist Technician in Sustainable Finance at the Office of the Minister for the Environment and Energy Transition, where she was responsible for promoting the "Reflection Group for Sustainable Finance", which led 20 institutions to sign the "Letter of Commitment for Sustainable Finance in Portugal". ​

Sofia Santos is the author of seven books, three dedicated to sustainable financing.

Álvaro Covões, founder and General Manager of Everything Is New (EIN), was born and raised in the world of culture, an area in which he has been working since 1991.​

Founder and General Director of The Live Company, a travel agency specializing in incoming and selling packages abroad for EIN events, and manager of Plateia Colossal, a company that explores Campo Pequeno.​

EIN is responsible for the most important national festival, NOS Alive, which has already had 15 editions and some of the most important shows held in Portugal. In 2011 he presented the 1st edition of the Fado Festival in Madrid with the aim of internationalizing fado, which is now present in more 15 cities. In 2013, In 2013, EIN launched itself into the area of art exhibitions, with its portfolio featuring the most visited exhibitions ever in Portugal.​

Álvaro Covões is also:​

• Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fundação Luso Brasileira;​

• Chairman of the General Meeting of Ricardo Covões SA (Coliseu);​

• Member of the Board of Directors of Recreios Lisbonenses;​

• Member of the Board of Directors of Sociedade Independente de Radiodiversão Sonora SA;​

• Manager of Lusocanal – Radiodifusao, Lda. (Radios Radar and Oxigénio);• Manager of The Event;​

• President of APEFE – Association of Show, Festival and Event Promoters;​

• Member of the Board of the Lisbon Tourism Association;​

• President of the Association for the Development of the Ambient Music Market – AMFM.​

• President of the Military Tourism Association.​

Álvaro Covões was elected “Marketeer of the Year” at the Marketeer Awards in 2014. More than a promoter, he considers himself a “content creator” for the culture and tourism industry.

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Isabel Vas has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico (1990) and a Master of Business and Administration (MBA) from Universidade Nova de Lisboa (1994). She begans his professional life as a research scientist at the Institute of Experimental Biology and Technology (IBET). Was Engineer Manufacturing Project in Atral Cipan Group. In 1992, she joined McKinsey, a strategic consulting company senior management, where she was a senior consultant for seven years, participating in projects primarily in banking and insurance.​

Since 1999, she’s Chief Executive Officer of Luz Saúde Group, leading more than thirteen thousand employees in 28 health facilities, including the Hospital da Luz in Lisbon. ​

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Is a member of the International Advisory Board of The Lisbon MBA in the New School of Business and Economics of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and was a member of the Board of Faculty at the same university. She was also a member of the General Council of the Universidade de Lisboa.​

​She regularly held conferences on health management, leadership, human resources and financial sustainability of health systems at the invitation of several universities and other institutions.​

​In 2015, she received the award «Excellens Oeconomics 2015» from Jornal de Negócios, for being the best Portuguese manager of the year. In 2017, she received the award «Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo 2017» from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), awarded to former students who distinguished themselves in their professional and social career. In 2019, she was considered one of the ten most powerful Portuguese women by Forbes magazine. In September 2020, it was, for the 5th consecutive time, considered one of the most influential women in Portugal by Revista Executiva.

​Pedro Siza Vieira is a partner in the Banking and Finance and Capital Markets practices. With 30 years' professional experience, he has extensive experience in advising Portuguese and international clients on major projects, transactions and arbitration cases. He has led some of the most important and structural operations in the Portuguese economy.​ ​

Pedro was Chairman of the Portuguese Arbitration Association and has served on the Executive Committee of the Mission Structure for Corporate Capitalisation, on the board of the Association of Law Firms of Portugal, on the Superior Council of the Administrative and Tax Courts and on the Arbitration Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Portugal. He has also been a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Law of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and at the Faculty of Law of Universidade Católica Portuguesa.​​

Between 2017 and the beginning of 2022, he performed Governmental duties, including as Minister of State, Economy and Digital Transition of the XXII Government of the Portuguese Republic.

Tiago Santos leads the Parks and Resorts Division at The Walt Disney Company for Spain and Portugal. For 12 years position Disney Destinations as the perfect family experience across the Spanish and the Portuguese families, spreading happiness telling stories as the only way that Disney can do.​​

A career of 20 years in the tourism sector, with experiences along Hotels Chain, Airlines, Marketing agencies, being member of Sales University School Cloister at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, to promote the Sales Experience across the Retail Value Chain proposition.​

Tiago lives in Madrid with his wife and 4 children, being a compulsory reader, and a big fan of sports (one day will conclude Lisbon Marathon).​

When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.

Crispin Lowery leads the Retail and Consumer Goods Industry team for Microsoft across Europe Middle East and Africa. A career retailer having spent 18 years with Tesco and led the retail businesses for Apple, Nike and Clarks, he has spent the last 9 years in technology working for Google on their Hardware, Google Assistant and partner engineering teams. He lives in London with his wife and four children and is a keen amateur pilot.

Kai Herzberger is heading the Commerce team of Meta for the EMEA and DACH region. He was former CMO of DailyDeal and Head of Marketing at BuyVIP, two startups he sold to Google and Amazon respectively. His analytical background in market research gained him the leadership for the International Marketing team of AOL in Dulles, VA. Kai holds a MBA of Kellogg/WHU and is co-founder of ReFuture Digital GmbH and Shops2Stay UG. He holds stakes in Falcon Agency, CineApp and other startups. Kai is empathic and drives for sustainable business growth. He created CoronaCare Winsen with his wife, a local non-profit community organization and is a founding member of the Hearing Community and the Cystic Fibrosis run4air organization. He is a founding member of the Spam task force of eco Verband e.V.

Hugo is leading experience and customer journey evolution in all touchpoints of Nespresso Portugal. ​

Over the last 15 years Hugo had several roles in different countries within Nespresso group and contributed to the design, assessment and implementation of diverse strategic projects in different dimensions of business development such as redefining route to market across the different regions, international expansion with new market openings, M&A, new Retail concepts and formats, evolution of Nespresso loyalty program and subscription model.​

Board member of joint venture with Do&Co also acting as CFO for the Austrian and UK subsidiary. ​

Before moving back to Portugal, Hugo was Head of Finance for Zone Europe leading portfolio management and resource allocation across all European markets in order to secure top and bottom line ambition. 

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As Director of Business and Innovation at Sensormatic, transformation is part of João Vilaça’s DNA. He has more than 25 years of international experience in building and developing teams, leading and delivering IT and Engineering solutions and in helping companies to exceed their customers` expectations. In his current role, he aims to create the ultimate shopper experience in fashion apparel for one of the biggest fashion retailer worldwide. He brings the online customer experience to the physical store and ensures proper return on investment: Retail 4.0 at its best.

Maria Antónia Saldanha has an extensive knowledge of payments/services in Portugal. With more than 20 years of experience and close collaboration with high profile executives, she contributed to increase businesses for companies in several industries namely financial, attracting more clients for their products and services, nationally and internationally.​

​She also promoted innovation and acceleration of startups from hundreds of countries and their interactions with established and well-known enterprises, leaders on their areas, fostering their new solutions and technologies to be delivered to customers.

Olivier Establet, CEO of DPD in Portugal, is the Executive Vice President of Geopost, and is responsible for managing the operation on the American continent, reporting directly to Yves Delmas, President of Geopost.

He has been Chairman and CEO of DPD Portugal since 1994. In 2017, after being directly involved in the acquisition of JadLog in Brazil, he assumed the role of Executive Chairman of the Geopost branch in Brazil.

In 2018, he extended his responsibilities to the entire LatAm region and became Chief Operating Officer for Latin America. In addition, he is Managing Director of Seur in Spain, another subsidiary of Geopost and leader in the neighbouring country, as well as Mediapost Portugal and Innovagency.

A journalist for almost 15 years, she is one of the main faces of information at TVI and CNN Portugal. With a degree in Journalism and Communication Sciences from the University of Porto, she began her career at SIC, where she worked for 12 years. As well as presenting the most important television news programs, she has also worked in the field of national politics, covering elections, party events, and interviews with leading politicians. Alongside her work in the newsroom, she has collaborated with the academic world as a guest lecturer, first at the Postgraduate Course in Multiplatform Journalism at FCSH-Nova/Grupo Impresa and more recently at the Postgraduate Course in Journalism at ISCTE-IUL/Media Capital.