Technical Session: Unlocking Growth – Strategic Financing for Business Innovation

Registrations are now open for the Technical Session “Unlocking Growth: Strategic Financing for Business Innovation”, which will take place on May 14, 2025, from 1:45 PM to 4:50 PM, at the auditorium of AIDA CCI – Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Aveiro District.

The event offers free admission, but requires mandatory registration and has limited vacancies due to venue capacity.

➡️ Register here

Confirmed Speakers
The session features the participation of leading figures in the economy, technology, and politics:

André Paula Santos is a strategic leader specialized in project management, data analysis, and digital transformation, with over 20 years of experience in consulting and executive leadership. Currently, he is a Partner at A2AI Consultores, a boutique consultancy focused on data transformation projects and process improvement through the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Previously, Andre was Director of Project Management and Strategy Execution at Frontier Communications, where he managed cross-functional initiatives that generated over $25 million in annual savings and optimized maintenance processes through data analysis and automation. As Senior Manager of Strategic Planning at Cox Communications, he led financial models and strategic projections for network transformation programs, managing an annual budget of $500 million.

With a solid 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 generated hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue and operational efficiencies. Prior to that, he served as Senior Strategic Consultant and Project Manager at Portugal Telecom (Altice), leading process optimization and cost reduction initiatives through digitalization 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, specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence. Andre complemented this foundation with executive education at the University of California, Berkeley Haas ExecEd, deepening his knowledge of AI application in the business world.

Gonçalo Tavares is an experienced leader in business management, with a track record of over 25 years in Telcos and FMCG. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to people development and creating winning organizational cultures. He believes that a well-structured and motivated team is the foundation for achieving excellence in customer service and solid financial results. Until recently, Gonçalo held the position of Country Commercial Manager at Beiersdorf Portugal, where he led a business transformation process with a direct impact on corporate culture, financial performance, and customer satisfaction. Under his management, the company achieved an average sales growth of 9% per year over the last three years, consolidating its position in the Health & Beauty sector. Simultaneously, he drove a significant increase in operating margin and elevated the company to the level of the best industry partner in the country, according to the Advantage Report of 2024. Additionally, he developed digital processes and data analysis strategies to make the company more agile and efficient. Before assuming this position, Gonçalo served as Head of Shopper & Customer Marketing and Head of Revenue Management at Beiersdorf, leading the creation of new strategic areas and the development of innovative solutions for category management, trade marketing, and e-commerce. During this period, he was responsible for pioneering projects such as the introduction of chatbots in stores and strengthening the brand’s digital strategy.

Previously, he worked at Vodafone Portugal, holding various positions in marketing and product management, notably launching digital services and developing predictive models based on machine learning to reduce churn and optimize customer engagement.

He is currently a strategic partner of A2AI for the development of innovative solutions in strategy and digital transformation.

Pedro Cilínio is a Partner at Craftgest Consulting, having previously served as Secretary of State for the Economy in the XXIII Constitutional Government. He has over 25 years of consolidated experience in various management roles at IAPMEI and AICEP (formerly ICEP), in the design, implementation, and management of incentive systems financed by national and European funds aiming to support R&D, Innovation, SME Qualification and Internationalization, and Decarbonization projects. He was a member of the Technical Committee for Business Incentive Systems under Decree-Law No. 287/2007. He developed several digital transformation projects linked to the management of incentive systems, including the creation of SIGI (Incentive Management Information System) and the SI-IA project for applying AI in Incentive Systems. He participated in the elaboration of ENEI – National Strategy for Smart Specialization 2020 and was a national expert on the Digital Europe Program Committee with the European Commission. He was a member of the Fiscal Council of InovCapital SCR, Vice-President of the Board of Directors of CEDINTEC, President of the Supervisory Committee, and later a member of the Board of Directors at the Cork Technological Center. He holds a degree in Engineering and Industrial Management (Instituto Superior Técnico), a master’s in Industrial Management (Faculty of Sciences and Technology at Univ. Nova de Lisboa), an Executive MBA from INDEG-ISCTE, and a master’s in Business Management from ISCTE-IUL with a thesis on Collaborative Innovation.

Representative of Banco Português de Fomento

António Paula Santos has 50 years of professional experience. Licensed in Finance by the Higher Institute of Economics (current ISEG), he was an Economist at the Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Construction, Statutory Auditor (Revisor Oficial de Contas), and Professor at ISCAL in Auditing and Financial Management.
He was Financial Director and, subsequently, Administrator of the Engil Group (today Mota-Engil), CEO of a major Portuguese private equity firm, and Non-Executive Director of large international companies – Thames Water, Europistas (concessionaire of two highways in Spain), GMTCB (ports of Barcelona, Valencia, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, among others), and the Macquarie Airport Group (airports of Bristol, Birmingham, Rome, and Sydney).

Program

• 1:45 PM – 2:05 PM | Accreditation and welcome coffee
• 2:05 PM – 2:15 PM | Welcome by Fernando Castro
• 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Digital Transformation: Updating the Value Chain for a More Agile and Resilient Industry
  With André Paula Santos and Gonçalo Tavares
• 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM | REFORÇAR Program: Support, Priorities, and Opportunities for the Industry
  • The Reforçar Program – Banco Português de Fomento
  • Support for Industry – Pedro Cilínio
  • Credit Risk and Business Performance – António Paula Santos
• 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM | Q&A Session
• 4:45 PM – 4:50 PM | Closing by António Paula Santos

More Information
This session is part of the Technical Session Series “Companies 4.0: Strategies for Autonomy in the Digital Age”, promoted by AIDA CCI in partnership with a2AI.

To check out other events, visit our full agenda.