Sonae SGPS : elected the world’s best employer

Sonae is internationally recognised for attracting and developing talent

Award relied on the support of Porto Business School and Lisbon MBA, which recommended Sonae for its talent management practices.

Sonae was considered the best employer in the world for MBA students and graduates (Master of Business Administration). This distinction, granted by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) in the category of MBA Employer Award, acknowledges Sonae's approach to the recruitment and development of talent, namely at an MBA level, as well as the investment in lasting partnerships with management schools.

This is the first time the London-based organisation is granting an award in this category, with a shortlist of employers that included Amazon, American Express, BP, Diageo, and Philips, together with the winner, Sonae, which stood out for its innovative approach in attracting, developing retaining talent.

Maria Antónia Cadilhe, director of Talent Management at Sonae, explains, 'This award is the recognition of Sonae as a school of leaders and of talent development. Sonae has always strived to provide its people with experiences that can foster their personal and professional growth, regardless of profession, generation or geography. The MBA is clearly an important tool, both to attract external talents and develop potential internal ones.'

At Sonae there are several examples of employees who, at several levels of the organisation, apply the experience achieved from an MBA investment in managing their activities and teams. Marta Cunha and Abdelrahman Ibrahim are two such examples. Marta Cunha, currently Client Director at Sonae MC, was working in a different area of the company when, in 2004, she decided to invest in an MBA at Porto Business School, upon which she received the MBA Student of The Year Award by AMBA. Abdelrahman came to Portugal to enroll in the International MBA and was headhunted by Sonae to become business project manager, placing his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit at the service of the organisation.

Talent management and partnerships with business schools

Sonae has always made a point of creating contexts that advance employees' learning and development processes. Internally recognised as a basic condition to reach a certain growth rhythm, there is an intrinsic pressure to develop and implement initiatives that allow Sonae employees to go further in their personal and professional lives.

Guided by this basic principle, the Group has, throughout its history, presented its teams with demanding challenges in terms of people development, incorporating into everyone's duties the unequivocal responsibility of training and developing others. At the same time, the Group has also invested in creating a set of structured programs and initiatives intended to complement the development project that is built between a leader and his/her team.

Nowadays, Sonae is proud to have built the necessary conditions that allow to foster the development of its people, always oriented towards the specific needs of the different employee segments, from the most operational to the most strategic, taking into consideration the different generations and geographies that make up the company's human capital.

As regards to developing management and leadership skills, the Sonae Academy Management&Leadership is the preferred vehicle for Sonae management staff, having established to that effect lasting relationships with several national and international business schools.

Considering its significant impact both personal and professionally, as well as its importance in building a relevant national and international network, the MBA is considered by Sonae to be an important tool to develop and attract talent. To that effect, Sonae has been forging and consolidating partnerships with benchmark business schools, such as: Porto Business School, Lisbon MBA, Católica Porto Business School, Harvard Business School, IMD, London Business School, IE Business School, Cranfield School of Management, and INSEAD.

'It is an honour for Sonae to receive this distinction at such a global level. We believe this is the recognition of our long-lasting investment in attracting potential leaders while also developing our own talent internally. Likewise, it is also a distinction that entrusts us to pursue the implementation of this strategy', concluded Maria Antónia Cadilhe.

About the Association of MBAs

Established in London, in 1967, AMBA is the impartial authority on postgraduate management education and is committed to raising its profile and quality standards internationally for the benefit of business schools, students and alumni and employers.

Every year, the AMBA organizes the 'Golden Awards' ceremony for its global network, distinguishing companies, business schools and students for their outstanding performance.

More information at https://www.mbaworld.com/