We are gearing up for the exciting 5th edition of the IPBN's Annual St. Patrick’s Day Sustainability Conference at the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Portugal (CCIP) in Lisbon on Tuesday, March 19 from 9h to 13h! The network is proud to have organized some fantastic discussions, thanks to all the speakers who have agreed to lend their time and talents across various sustainable disciplines, and are likewise counting on the esteemed presence of H.E. Alma Ní Choigligh, Ambassador of Ireland to Portugal, Geoffrey Graham, Chair of the IPBN Board, IPBN Board Members, our Executive Partners, and Enterprise Ireland.

The conference is slated to focus on the development, innovation, and challenges faced in Air, Sea, and Food throughout three different panel discussions and a lineup of keynote talks led by industry experts. The first conversation of the conference will be on the important topic of social and environmental innovation to change current consumption habits with Silvia Correia, IPBN 2023 Business Success Award Winner, Social Entrepreneur & Founder & CEO of re.store, and IPBN member Nessa Maguire, Co-founder & CEO of EudaOrg. Let's take a deeper dive into each of their backgrounds to better engage in the conversation!

Before settling in the village of Amares, Silvia Correia describes herself as a globetrotter who graduated in Economics, worked in Banking in Portugal, and later in Direct Marketing in both Sweden and Italy. Silvia then returned to Portugal to the home textile world, working in Marketing, Design, and Licensing for the largest home textile company in Portugal. Her dedication to teaching people to become agents of positive and creative change has been made apparent by her behavior and leadership. Silvia is responsible for 2 volunteer projects entitled D’Avo With Love and How Can I Help You? and volunteers her time to tell stories to children in Pediatrics at the Hospital de Braga. In 2019, she created re.store®, the environmentally and people's friendly inclusive brand.

re.store is a Portuguese textile brand that combines social innovation with environmental innovation and pedagogical actions to change current consumption habits. The company serves eco-friendly and socially responsible consumers while promoting social inclusion for training, appreciation, and recognition of social institutions, refugees, social associations, active aging, prison inmates, and others who help to create the products. The company contributes to the reduction of the ecological footprint of the textile industry through upcycling leftovers of the Portuguese textile industry and aims to contribute as a solution for three main issues: social inclusion, reduction of textile waste and the textile ecological footprint, and consumers' behavioral attitudes towards collective awareness of the need to optimize the planet's resources. Read more about re.store's standout success from 2023 here.

Meanwhile, Nessa Maguire's professional background began with an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology & Coaching Psychology. Shortly thereafter, she became a graduate member of the Psychological Society of Ireland and a Full Member of the Special Interest Group in Coaching Psychology and Human Rights & Psychology. With fifteen years of international experience working in supporting diverse individuals, families, schools, organizations, NGOs, and government agencies, Nessa has managed to secure her place as a thought leader in accessing and developing inclusive spaces in Europe, South East Asia, and Australasia. As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are now "more important than ever to future-proof businesses against global skill shortages, it is becoming paramount to attract and retain Gen Z and Alpha talent and prepare for upcoming legislation," according to Nessa.

EudaOrg is an all-in-one software suite meticulously designed to embed and sustain DEI in all areas of business. Nessa's mission is to revolutionise how companies perceive inclusion at work. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Nessa explained, "Some sectors like tech and pharma realize that embedding DEI in your business is not just about your colleagues, it is also about your suppliers and customers. Businesses need to set goals on more than just gender. Some businesses are collecting gender, age, ethnicity data, but they should start to collect more data. People are all very different, and having access to data is important because sometimes we are not aware of our bias. When you [have to ask] yourself ‘Why are we not getting the talent we need?’ you may need to look closer at your talent acquisition software. For example, Ireland is now effectively at near full employment, so Irish-based employers are looking overseas for talent. Ireland is not alone in that. Global competition for talent is going to continue to grow.”

We are very much looking forward to diving into the implications of inclusion and better environmental and social habits will have on business operations and the future of the globe. Registration for the event is still open here— don't miss out!