“Business in Portuguese” conference 31 Oct 2017 London

Registration and coffee

Welcome from Jorge de Abreu, Chairman of the Portuguese Chamber  

Why Chamber members are the natural partners for British companies investing in Portuguese-speaking countries

Antonio Monteiro, Chairman of the Board, Banco Comercial Português, S.A. and Chairman of the International Board of Fundação Millennium BCP  

“Africa and Europe, an inevitable partnership – the relevance and vitality of the Portuguese-speaking countries in this context.”

A career diplomat and Portugal’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Monteiro has been Portugal’s permanent representative to the United Nations and to the UN’s Security Council.  As the envoy of the Portuguese government, he also headed the mission to negotiate and conclude the peace process in Angola in the 1990’s.  He joined the BCP board in 2012.                 

PANEL ONE – Financing Business in Portuguese-Speaking Countries

In the light of recent political changes, we will examine the latest developments in doing business in the main Portuguese-speaking markets of Brazil, Angola and Mozambique from a legal, business and intelligence perspective.

What impact has the changing price of commodities had on these markets? Which business sectors are producing the best returns and what is the outlook for the future? What are the main blocks to investment and where are the opportunities?  What is unique or specific in business terms about these markets?

Bloomberg Panel One Moderator BETH KOSTICK KEMP – Beth is a market specialist at Bloomberg LP in London, with responsibility for Fixed Income in Emerging Markets for the EMEA region.  She arrived in London in 2014 after 15 years in Latin America, where she was part of the team that built Bloomberg’s Latin American product. 

 PANEL ONE MEMBERS

• Norman Hay, Executive Chairman, Kingbird Commodities S.A. the physical trading arm of Gemcorp Group, focused on delivering food and pharmaceuticals to Africa
• Joao Mattamouros, Partner, Cuatrecasas, Goncalves Pereira the international law firm operating across Lusophone Africa and Brazil
• Barnaby Fletcher, Analyst for Southern Africa, Control Risks a global risk and strategic consulting firm specializing in political, security and integrity risk, with clients in Mozambique’s oil and gas, mining, construction and financial services sectors
• Sergio Gullo, Chief Representative Officer EMEA & Asia for B3 the Brazilian Stock Exchange in Sao Paulo, now the world’s fifth largest stock exchange with a market capitalization of $13 billion

Coffee break

THE OUTLOOK FOR LUSOPHONE AFRICA

Francisco Machado, Investment Executive (Africa), CDC Group plc

The CDC Group plc, formerly known as the Commonwealth Development Corporation, is the UK government´s development finance institution, with US$3bn AUM in its African fund of funds.

Lusophone countries around the world often operate within the business and legal framework of EU-member state Portugal.  Partnering with Portuguese companies already in those markets can be invaluable for international and UK-based businesses considering opportunities in Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, for example.

PANEL TWO – Sustainability and Good Governance in Portuguese-Speaking Countries

How are the leading businesses in these markets adapting their investments to fit in with their environment, sustainability and good governance (ESG) programmes? How can they protect and improve the quality of life in the communities involved? How can they ensure transparent working practices?

Bloomberg Panel Two Moderator CLAUDIA QUINONEZ – Claudia is a News Product Manager based in London, who looks after the overall strategies for the News Product. Before that, Claudia led the News Market Specialist team globally for five years, after spending eleven years in several roles in the newsroom. She studied Economy and Political Sciences in the leading universities in Brazil, where she is from originally.

PANEL TWO MEMBERS

• Nick Robinson, Head of Brazilian Equities, Aberdeen Asset Management PLC global investment management group
• James Harris, Lusophone Africa Specialist, The Risk Advisory Group plc global risk management consultancy
• Francisco Machado, Investment Executive (Africa), CDC Group plc the UK government´s development finance institution
• Sheriff Alabi, Consultant, African Development Bank a specialist in skills development and entrepreneurship in Africa

CLOSING REMARKS followed by a networking lunch