Technical Session: “Digital Ecosystems and Smart Technologies”

The event will take place on 22 May, from 1:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the AIDA CCI auditorium.

The event is free of charge, but registration is required and seating is limited.

➡️ Register here

The session features leading technology experts:

Frederico Couceiro is a Partner and Executive Director at Omnium-Retail and an Operational Partner at a2AI. He has international experience in Belgium as a Software Engineer at Amorim Turismo and Wipro Retail, Business Consultant at Inov Retail, and Managing Partner at Savvy Capital Partners. He holds a degree in Management Informatics from Universidade Portucalense and a Master’s in Computer Engineering from ISEP – Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto.

André Paula Santos is a strategic leader specializing in project management, data analysis, and digital transformation, with over 20 years of experience in consulting and executive leadership. He is currently a Partner at A2AI Consultores, a boutique consultancy focused on data transformation and process improvement through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Previously, André served as Director of Project Management and Strategy Execution at Frontier Communications, managing cross-functional initiatives that generated over $25 million in annual savings and optimized maintenance processes through data analytics and automation. As Senior Manager of Strategic Planning at Cox Communications, he led financial models and strategic projections for network transformation programs, overseeing a $500 million annual budget.

With a strong background in strategic consulting, André held leadership roles at Aspirent Consulting and inCode (a division of Ericsson), where he defined business transformation programs and developed business cases that delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue and operational efficiency. Earlier, he worked as a Senior Strategy Consultant and Project Manager at Portugal Telecom (Altice), leading process optimization and cost-reduction initiatives through digitisation and cloud computing.

His academic background includes an MBA from the University of Virginia (Darden School of Business) and a degree in Electrical Engineering from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, with a specialization in robotics and artificial intelligence. He has also completed executive education at UC Berkeley Haas ExecEd, deepening his expertise in AI applications in business.

António Paula Santos has 50 years of professional experience and holds a degree in Finance from the Instituto Superior de Economia (now ISEG). He served as an Economist at the Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Construction, Chartered Accountant, and Lecturer in Auditing and Financial Management at ISCAL.

He was CFO and later Executive Board Member at Engil Group (now Mota-Engil), CEO of a major Portuguese private equity firm, and non-executive director at major international companies – Thames Water, Europistas (highway concessionaire in Spain), GMTCB (ports in Barcelona, Valencia, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia), and the Macquarie Airport Group (airports in Bristol, Birmingham, Rome, and Sydney).

Programme:
22 May – Thursday | Technical Session “Digital Ecosystems and Smart Technologies”

1:45 p.m. – 2:05 p.m. | Registration and welcome coffee
2:05 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Welcome, AIDA CCI
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. | Data-Driven Decisions, Tech-Driven Action by André Paula Santos, Partner at a2AI
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. | Data in Industrial Efficiency: Solutions for Reducing Operational Costs by Frederico Couceiro, Partner and Executive Director at Omnium-Retail
4:15 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. | Q&A
4:25 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Closing, António Paula Santos

More Information
This session is part of the Technical Sessions Cycle “Digital Ecosystems and Smart Technologies”, promoted by AIDA CCI in partnership with a2AI.

To discover other events, visit our full agenda.