Campus and Community

Isabel Vaz was elected one of the most influential women in Portugal for the fourth consecutive year

the Técnico alumna and winner of Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Award is among the 25 most influential women in Portugal.

Isabel Vaz, Técnico alumna and one of the winners of Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Award, is among the most influential women in Portugal for the fourth consecutive year. The award is given by “Executiva” digital magazine and recognises women who stood out in the Portuguese society in several areas, such as business, politics, science, arts and culture, justice and media. The award ceremony took place this Tuesday, 25th May.

Graduated in Chemical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico in 1990, Isabel Vaz began her professional career as a researcher at the Institute of Experimental and Technological Biology (IBET) and later on she worked at Atral Cipan Group. In 1992, she joined McKinsey, where she held a senior consultant position for seven years, having participated in banking and insurance projects. In 1994, she got an MBA from Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

In 1999, the Técnico alumna was invited by Ricardo Salgado to create Espírito Santo Saúde, which is currently Luz Saúde Group, owned by Fosun group. Evaluated at 550 million euros, Luz Saúde Group has 15 thousand employees in 30 health units and generated a turnover of 590 million euros in 2019.

Isabel Vaz is also non-executive director at Sonae Capital and CTT, and chairs Capital Criativo HealthCare Investments II. She is currently a member of the International Advisory Board of The Lisbon MBA.

In 2017, Isabel Vaz won the second edition the Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Award in the “Role Model” category, for her “professional and social career”. Besides merit and influence, this award also recognises women who stand out in various areas of society, act as role models and inspire the Portuguese women.

The list of the award winners includes 25 women. The assessment was based on five criteria: career (professional curriculum), image (presence on national and international media), contact network (peer recognition), power (social, professional, political and entrepreneurial impact) and fortune (financial resources).

Award winners list.