Empowering new generations, preserving a century of knowledge

As Riopele approaches its 100th anniversary, it carries a century of knowledge — but also an inevitable question: how can we preserve that legacy while preparing the company for the future?

This was the starting point for Francisca Oliveira, Riopele’s Business Development Manager, who recently took part in one of the conversations promoted by Brands Channel, as part of an initiative travelling across Portugal’s 18 districts, inspired by the book Inspirar Pessoas, Afirmar Portugal, written by 18 Portuguese leaders.

Moderated by Cristina Amaro, author, TV host of Imagens de Marca and Founder & Host of Brands Community, the conversation also brought together Jorge Braz, co-author of the book and Portugal’s National Futsal Team Head Coach, and José Teixeira, President of DST Group, for a discussion on leadership, innovation and the future.

Francisca Oliveira spoke about her international career before returning to Riopele, where she found an opportunity to learn from those with an in-depth knowledge of a company that now spans four generations.

With the centenary on the horizon, this connection between past and future has taken on particular significance. As a member of the fourth generation of the family, she explained that preserving Riopele’s legacy also means thinking about what the company can become in the decades ahead — and engaging the new generations now joining the business.

“We are a family business, but we are also a company where many families work. It is amazing to see grandparents who worked with my grandfather, then their children with my father, and now their children working with me.”

It is at this intersection of generations that the Riopele Academy comes in, created to turn decades of accumulated knowledge into a tool for preparing the company for the future.

The initiative encompasses different schools, from textile industry crafts — an area facing a clear shortage of talent — to leadership, creating opportunities for people to grow within the organisation.

“We have a school dedicated to textile industry crafts, where there is a clear shortage of talent, but also a Leadership School, through which different profiles can grow within the company.”

As Riopele prepares to celebrate a century of history, one of its challenges is to ensure that the knowledge built across four generations does not remain in the past, but continues to be passed on to those who will write the next chapter.