Nova School of Business & Economics (Nova SBE) and novobanco announced the renewal of their partnership, sealed through the signing of a 3-year protocol dedicated to the broad scope of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).
The partnerships also led to the creation of the novobanco Chair in ESG, which will be led by Professor Melissa Prado. The chair will focus on research and training in the field of Finance, with a focus on ESG topics, including research on the impact of sustainable investment on reducing pollution.
In a second strand, novobanco was also announced as a founding partner of Nova SBE VOICE Leadership Initiative, a program aimed at empowering business leaders in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The program will provide innovative theoretical and practical management training combined with personalized mentoring to managers in this segment.
The partnership underlines Nova SBE and novobanco's commitment to tackling the challenges of our time, from sustainability and environmental responsibility to leadership and innovation.
Pedro Oliveira, Dean of Nova SBE, considers "the significant expansion of this protocol as the culmination of a process in which two entities recognized the need to combine research and teaching with the pressing issues of our society, through the renewal of a Chair. ESG practices are one of the most current challenges of our organizations, so integrating these new aspects is a commitment to supporting companies in fulfilling their environmental, social, and good governance purposes." He also emphasizes that "Nova SBE has the responsibility and the opportunity to positively impact our country by training decision-makers in small and medium-sized companies with tools and routines that will help improve their future growth".
Melissa Prado, the Novobanco Chair Professor in ESG, adds that "the new aspects of the renewed protocol are the result of a concerted strategy aimed at promoting transparency at the corporate level and building capacity for potential opportunities related to sustainable development to create a lasting impact in Portugal and beyond."
Luisa Soares da Silva, director of ESG at novobanco, considers the partnership with Nova SBE as “an important component of novobanco's sustainability strategy. With this collaboration, we support not only the development of knowledge in the field of sustainability and sustainable finance but also the training of a new generation of leaders in the Portuguese business community. We are confident that this partnership will help us achieve our sustainability goals and make a real difference to the national economy."