This article was originally published in Jornal Económico on May 4, 2025.
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Between the space and financial sectors lies an entire universe that merges innovation, learning, and collaboration among CEOs of some of the most influential companies in the country.
The combination seemed unlikely: on one side, a financial sector lawyer; on the other, an entrepreneur with experience in the space industry. Benedita Aires, partner at VdA (an internationally renowned law firm), and Ricardo Marvão, founder of Beta-i (a collaborative innovation consultancy), came up with the idea of creating an exclusive club where business leaders and decision-makers could exchange insights and learn from one another. From the meeting of these two seemingly distant worlds emerged Innov.Club – an exclusive club (which Jornal Económico is a part of) focused on sharing knowledge and fostering innovation among those who lead and make decisions within corporate organizations.
The club operates on non-negotiable principles: discussing shared challenges and exploring new approaches to innovation and peer collaboration across a wide range of sectors – from insurance and banking to service management, consulting, retail, food & beverage, energy, transport, real estate, healthcare, construction, telecommunications, IT, and sports.
In an interview with Jornal Económico, Benedita Aires and Ricardo Marvão explain how Innov.Club has “grown significantly, bringing together a highly relevant group of Portugal’s largest companies”, with monthly sessions that host international experts – from entrepreneurs and academics to bestselling innovation authors. And they don’t stop there. The club organizes exploratory trips to global innovation hubs: it was Boston a year ago, and this year, San Francisco. In another format, Innov.Club also hosts the “Chief Officers’ Roundtable,” a biannual initiative that gathers C-Level executives and Board Members from major companies.
Always aiming for a global approach, the club has managed to host sessions not only in Lisbon but also in Porto, Brussels, and São Paulo. “Over this journey, Innov.Club has already hosted more than 25 sessions, always committed to delivering relevant discussions applicable to Portugal’s business reality,” the founders highlight.
The goal remains clear: to continue strengthening collaborative innovation in Portugal. According to Benedita Aires and Ricardo Marvão, the response to the initiative has been “extremely positive,” reflected not only in active participation but also in the high level of engagement. One of the clearest signs of this engagement is the hosting of sessions at the headquarters of club members – from Estádio de Alvalade to Galp, NOS, Hospital dos Lusíadas, BPI, Mota-Engil, Casa da Moeda, and Brisa. “This format reinforces the collaborative nature of the club and brings members closer to each other’s realities,” they emphasize, citing as an example the creation of a partnership between BPI and NOS.
For the coming years, Innov.Club aims to maintain its focus on innovation and adapt to the emerging needs of organizations, built on three pillars: Continue to monitor global and local trends to identify emerging and relevant topics for members; Establish new partnerships with renowned institutions and experts to bring valuable, up-to-date insights; Maintain a flexible and adaptable approach, adjusting the club’s initiatives as members’ needs and challenges evolve.