CEO TALK | In conversation with the Finalists of the 6th Edition of the SME HEROES

Yunit Consulting launches a new series to give a voice to Portuguese SMEs! 

More than 90% of the Portuguese business fabric is composed of SMEs. This is the series that was missing, where Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises have a prominent place to make themselves known and to cross visions and management experiences.

Within the scope of the 6th Edition of the Heróis PME Awards, Yunit Consulting, in partnership with Brands Channel, launches today the first season of the series "CEO – Conversas Entre Organizações" [CEO - Conversations Between Organisations]. This innovative series puts Portugal's Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the spotlight, providing them with a stage to introduce themselves, share their experiences, and discuss strategic themes essential to their growth. 

An unprecedented series in which Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises sit together at the table and make themselves known to the country and the world through the Brands Channel. Each episode is dedicated to a central theme and invites organisations from different sectors to cross approaches on that theme.

“The C.E.O. – Conversas entre Organizações series, sponsored by Heróis PME, is an initiative that aims to foster the sharing of knowledge and experiences among business leaders. We believe that through these conversations we can inspire and strengthen micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of our economy. This series is a unique opportunity for CEOs to exchange ideas, share common challenges, and build a robust support network. We are very excited about the potential of this initiative to drive innovation and growth in the business sector." – states Bernardo Maciel, CEO of Yunit Consulting.

In this partnership with Brands Channel, we developed 5 episodes dedicated to each of the categories of the 6th Edition of Heróis PME, in which the protagonists are the respective finalists. A format that counts on the co-moderation of a journalist from the Brands Channel team and a representative of a large organisation, also bringing the perspective of large companies. Topics relevant to the development of innovation, sustainability, internationalisation, digital transformation, and prosperity of the Portuguese economy will be the beacon of these conversations, giving SMEs the opportunity to showcase their work and the arguments that make them best positioned to be the big winners. 

For her part, Maria José Martins, executive director of Brands Channel, reinforces:

“The first season of the C.E.O. series - in partnership with Heróis PME - aims to present the different categories of the project and its finalist companies. A series that intends to give a stage, voice, and visibility to small and medium-sized enterprises, often overshadowed by the big ones, allowing their entry into the brand ecosystem represented by Brands Channel.”

The first episode is already available on Brands Channel's Youtube. Check below the themes, participants, and release dates of all episodes.

1. Episode 1: Stories of SME Heroes that make us learn

We start this series with a conversation that brings together the stories and experiences of a micro-enterprise specialised in the optics sector, a small company dedicated to training in the bartenders area, and a medium-sized company focused on creating technological talent. Journalist Fernando Paula and Susana Pascoal, marketing director at VICTORIA Seguros, challenge Ana Carvalho, executive president of Ótica Maxivisão, Lúcia Encarnação, co-founder of Cocktail Team, and João Magalhães, executive president of Code For All, to present their businesses and highlight the strengths that make these companies true SME Heroes.

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2. Episode 2: The S Factor of Sustainability

When seeking to be a company distinguished by Heróis PME, an initiative by Yunit Consulting, what is the importance of the S Factor, of Sustainability? This question is the starting point for the second episode of the CEO – Conversas Entre Organizações series.

In this conversation conducted by journalist Fernando Paula and Mariana Ribeiro Ferreira, vice-president of Grace representing CUF, we went to understand which of the companies elected for the final has the best S factor. João Vieira, general manager of Luzimeca and Nuno Oliveira, executive president of NBI – Natural Business Intelligence, presented the companies and the arguments that distinguish them in this area.

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3. Episode 3: Heroes – Internationalisation

In this third episode, we are going to talk about internationalisation with 3 companies that are heavily based on technology: a company that is in the refurbished computers business and wants to bring a vision of sustainability to the world, a company that created a complaint portal for the consumer, that is, a digital business, and a company with financial software and hardware solutions with a social purpose.

With the co-moderation of Maria José Martins and João Paes Cabral, director of European Affairs at the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry talk with the invited companies to understand which is best prepared to build a sustained path in internationalisation. Bruno Noversa, marketing manager of WDMI, Pedro Barros Lourenço, founder and CEO of Consumers Trust and Vitor Rodrigues, CEO of Innovation Makers.

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4. Episode 4: Heroes – Digital Transformation

The journalist together with Luís Teodoro, administrator of SoftFinança and Pedro Janela, Chairman of WyGroup introduce 2 of the candidate companies for the Heróis PME award in the Digital Transformation category. The guests are José Alberto de Castro, CEO of Mestrimagem and José Maria, director of the IT department of Grupo CCR.

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5. Episode 5: Heroes - Startup

The journalist joins Ana Ribeiro, Senior Sales Director Iberia - Small & Accountants at SAGE and Patricia Roque, head of community and communications at Startup Portugal, to start a conversation with the two finalist start-ups of the Startup category of Heróis PME. One wants to be the brain of the food industry and the other focuses on a strongly growing market, that of pets, in this particular case dogs. The guests are Paulo Gaspar, co-founder and CEO of BRAINR and André Jordão, founder and CEO of BARKYN.

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Premieres on 5 June. They have weekly periodicity, premiering on Wednesdays. The last episode premieres on 3 July.

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This series promises to be a source of inspiration and learning for all Portuguese SMEs, showing that innovation and sustainability are accessible to all scales of business.