Company visits are a cornerstone of Dynamic Learning at Porto Business School, transforming real organizations into living classrooms where strategy, leadership, innovation, and impact intersect. During the recent International Weeks designed for IE Business School and EDHEC Business School, MBA students experienced firsthand how organizations across Portugal are responding to global challenges related to sustainability, biodiversity, data, technology, and global leadership.
Science, biodiversity, and leadership at BIOPOLIS
MBA students from IE Business School (Spain) and EDHEC Business School (France) visited the Galeria da Biodiversidade (Biodiversity Gallery) and explored the work of BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, taking part in an experience intentionally designed to bridge science and management. The visit strengthened scientific literacy while raising awareness of the urgent challenges facing biodiversity worldwide.
Located at Casa Andresen, within Porto’s Botanical Garden, the Biodiversity Gallery is a space where art, biology, and natural history converge, encouraging reflection on the relationship between ecosystems, society, and economic activity. Students were introduced to the work of BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, the largest Portuguese research initiative in environmental biology, ecosystems, and biodiversity, and a project in which Porto Business School is a partner.
This experience invited future leaders to reflect on how scientific knowledge must inform strategy and decision-making in a context where biodiversity loss and environmental risk are strategic realities rather than abstract concepts.
Digital transformation and data-driven leadership at the HUGO BOSS Digital Campus
The International MBA class from IE Business School also visited the Metyis Campus, home to the HUGO BOSS Digital Campus, where they explored how data, technology, and talent are reshaping leadership and business models in the fashion industry.
The visit provided insight into how HUGO BOSS is advancing its digital strategy through analytics, e-commerce, customer experience, and data-driven decision-making. Students engaged with concrete examples showing that digital transformation requires not only technological capability, but also new leadership mindsets, organizational culture, and cross-functional collaboration.
The contrast between scientific research environments and corporate innovation hubs highlighted a shared challenge across contexts: how to lead with purpose in complex and fast-changing environments.
Wine as a lens for global leadership with Sogrape
On the final day of the EDHEC International Week, students worked on a real-world challenge presented by Sogrape Wine Academy, using wine as a lens to explore global leadership, diversity, and impact.
Grounded in themes such as biodiversity, authenticity, and identity, student proposals connected culture, nature, and strategy, demonstrating how sustainability can be embedded into global brand positioning. The experience concluded at Caves Ferreira, where participants created their own interpretation of a global wine icon, combining intention, imagination, and strategic insight.
This visit illustrated how local heritage can inform global leadership conversations and reinforced the importance of authenticity and long-term thinking in international business.
What role should leaders play in a world that refuses to stand still?
By engaging with organizations operating in very different contexts, students were challenged to rethink leadership as a practice grounded in responsibility, adaptability, and informed decision-making.
Dynamic Learning in action
These company visits reflect Porto Business School’s commitment to Dynamic Learning, an approach that combines academic rigor with experiential learning and connects students directly to real organizational challenges.
Through exposure to diverse industries and strategic realities, participants developed a deeper understanding of how leadership, sustainability, innovation, and technology intersect in practice.