Eduardo Netto de Almeida

He has a penchant for expressions such as “getting things done”. He is pragmatic and he embraces both his passions, Campo Real and Horses with absolute determination

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Nuno Amado

Banco Santander Totta president Nuno Amado talks to Essential about the challenges and opportunities facing the bank in the year that Santander Group celebrates its 150th anniversary.

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Miguel Horta e Costa

Behind the aristocratic and a little distant exterior we find ­ a friendly person of solid principles, an economist who embraces each challenge with gusto and surrenders to the pleasures of the art of sailing

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António Borges

From the dean of INSEAD Business School to Vice Chairman at Goldman Sachs, António Borges is probably Portugal’s most successful economist working abroad. Essential finds out more about the life of this man who many believe still has an important role to play in the country of his birth

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Joie de Vivre

Pedro Norton de Matos steps back from his guise as a managing director to don the clothes of entrepreneur and become imbued with a new philosophy for life

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A modern day explorer - Jorge de Abreu - Juggling a prominent legal career with a passion for world travel

Sailing has always been part of Jorge de Abreu’s life. His first experience came while still at secondary school, at the Naval Association, next to Belém in Lisbon. Later, during the 70s, he got his first boat, with which he made his first forays across the Mediterranean. Since then he makes the most of extended holidays to satisfy his passion for sailing.

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Miguel Paes do Amaral - Life in the fast lane

A striking figure in Portugal’s media sector, Miguel Paes do Amaral looks back on former times, shares his thoughts on the state of the nation and reveals the passions that drive him.

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João Rendeiro - The art of modern Banking

João Rendeiro welcomes us to the Fundação Ellipse, situated on the outskirts of Lisbon in Alcoitão, and a labour of love for this financier whose social and civic interests includes art, but covers other areas such as social integration, support for developing countries and furthering relationships between Portugal and Brazil.

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Claudine de Cadaval - The duchess with a passion for fashion and a love for music

Close friends with Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent, the Duchess of Cadaval tells us of her passion for music and for Portugal, which caused her to exchange the lights of Paris and New York for the charm of Lisbon and the peace of Évora.

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Emílio Rui Vilar - The face of a Gulbenkian Foundation

This is the portrait of a master of many trades. In his time he has been a minister and a banker, a profession he considers his own, and he now heads the most important foundation in Portugal: the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

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Life in the fast lane - Domingos Piedade - an international figure in the world of motoring

With the deafening blare of race day at Estoril Racetrack ringing in our ears - a noise that Domigos Piedade is more than comfortable with - Essential met up with the AMG-Mercedes director about Formula One, his admiration for Ayrton Senna, and a life lived to a hectic rhythm of speed and passion.

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Jordan & Sons - Portugal’s most charismatic property developer prepares to hand over the reigns to the next generation

Accompanied by his two sons, Constantino and Gilberto, and his son-in-law Alexandre Botelho, André Jordan welcomed us to Belas, his residential golf development on the outskirts of Lisbon. Our conversation took place in a relaxed atmosphere, with the family happily sharing their thoughts on Portugal, tourism, the group’s future plans, and the personal stamp André Jordan has left on his business and on his family.

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Filipe de Botton - Portugal’s case study of internationalisation

Even on arrival you can easily see that this is not your average interpretation of Portugal. The contemporary style building, edging on the Nordic, is a peaceful setting, doused with lines of water intermittently crossed by slots of green populated, amazingly enough, by rabbits.

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João Lagos - Taking Sport into the Business Arena

On the 1st of January 2006, the 28th edition of the Dakar Rally will set off from Lisbon. This prestigious motor sport event is sure to strengthen and promote Lisbon and Portugal’s image abroad. One man stands behind this triumph for the nation, and his name is João Lagos.

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Carlos Monjardino

Carlos Monjardino belongs to a dying breed. Few people today have his natural talent to successfully blend an inordinate amount of interests and embrace them with such joie de vivre. His story reads like a film script: studying in England, residing in Paris and Macao, and cultivating a passion for collecting alongside talents for all things business on successive voyages around the globe.

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Face value - Essential Lisboa speaks to António Horta Osório, one of Portugal’s leading figures in international banking

Banking has been a passion for António Horta Osório from an early age. During the final year of his studies he sent out a letter with a copy of his CV to the main Portuguese and foreign banks operating in Portugal. His received three replies and ended up opting for CitiBank, at the time considered an excellent choice in banking management and which enabled him to continue working as an assistant at the Universidade Católica.

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At the helm of success - The business of being Patrick Barros

Born in France to a French mother and Portuguese father, Patrick Monteiro de Barros spent his childhood and adolescence in Portugal, where he attended the Colégio Francês. He earned his degree in economics and business management in France.

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