Business Roundtable launched

A group of Portugal’s top business leaders have joined forces to launch the Business Roundtable Association Portugal (ABRP).

The aim of new association, backed by 42 entrepreneurs, is to put Portugal back in the Top 15 European countries in terms of growth.
The president of the Business Rountable Portugal is Vasco de Mello from the José de Mello Group, while its vice-presidents are Cláudia Azevedo from the Sonae Group and António rios Amorim of Corticeira Amorim.
The aim of the Business Association Round Table, which was launched on Tuesday. is to put Portugal on the list of Top 15 European countries in terms of wealth creation and says it is committed to finding solutions so that Portugal can begin a new cycle of greater growth.
We aim for “a Portugal which will enjoy a greater growth, with opportunities for all, where SMEs have ambitions to be big and the big companies to be global” is the goal of the BRP,” said Vasco de Mello when presenting the new Portuguese association.
To achieve this ambition, the BRP has identified three priorities for action: people: (investing in and training the Portuguese), companies (revitalising and restructuring Portuguese companies to make them more dynamic, developed and competitive so they can scale up); the State (as a driver for wealth and change to economic activity).
The association aims to draw on the experience of their members to come up with proposals that will help the State take decisions that will allow the country to have a trajectory of greater growth at a European and global level. But also based on academic studies that have already been published.
Vasco de Mello said, “We wan to combine the accuracy of academic work with the pragmatism of the business world and come up with solutions that cover Portugal and not just the companies of our members.”
This group of business leaders says that improving and modernising qualifications and skills and the competitiveness of the national economy will help to boost employment, productivity, opportunities, salaries, innovation and improve the quality of life.
At the BRP presentation, Cláudia Azevedo stressed the urgent need to break with the current model of education in schools but also professional and technical courses. The business manager reminded those present that Portugal was now at the bottom of the list in terms of the number of people who complete secondary eduction. “We have to change this and not use the policies of the past.”