Our Key Features
Boutique Consulting
Small, global, flexible, and context wise
Strong links with academia
Project and workshop design and facilitation
Specialized coaching and training
Top facilitation and mediation skills
Working closely with the client, sharing skills and knowledge and challenging the commercial paradox: working with vs. selling
Core team and wide network of senior consultants
Evidence based methodologies
Inter and multi-disciplinarity
Working with soft and hard skills for decision-making and innovation
Strong research, science and technology know-how
Our Team
ALVA’s network members have wide-reaching backgrounds and experience.
António Alvarenga
Founder and Executive Director
António is a professor, seasoned consultant and researcher specialized in the field of Scenario Planning, Foresight and Strategy. Over the last 20 years, he trained +5000 managers and C-level executives, and worked as a consultant/mentor with +100 organizations.
He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at NOVA School of Business and Economics, Executive Training Professor (at NOVA SBE – Executive Education), researcher at CEG-IST (Centre for Management Studies of Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon University) and IHC (Institute of Contemporary History, Nova University of Lisbon).
Among other leadership and research positions, he was Director of the Department of Strategies and Economic Analysis of the Portuguese Environment Agency, Rapporteur for the Portuguese Green Growth Commitment, Director of the Department of Innovation and Strategic Sectors of the Lisbon City Council, and Director of the Strategic Foresight Unit of the Portuguese Department of Foresight and Planning.
He holds a PhD in Management Sciences at the Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 and is internationally trained in Strategic Foresight (PREST, Futuribles, Coates & Jarret, Outsights, Fuld & Company). He is graduated in Economics (Porto University - Faculty of Economics), has a MA in European Economic Studies (College of Europe - Bruges) and a Master in Strategy (ISCSP - Lisbon).
He has multiple contributions to books and publications in leading national and international magazines such as Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Foresight, The International Journal of Management Science and International Journal for Equity in Health.
Tânia Gouveia
Project Manager & Researcher
Specialized in Documentary Sciences in Universidade Portucalense (Porto) and Graduated in Classical Languages and Literature (Latin and Greek). Experience in educational area, as a teacher and as a kindergarten manager and assistant director. Large administrative experience including areas such as diplomacy (at Consular Section of the Embassy of Angola, in Barcelona), banking (at Santander Totta and BNP Paribas) and accountancy (WinnerConta). Co-founder of Zunzum – Cultural Association (2007) and A Quint’Oficina – Nature, Artist Residences, Arts and Crafts (2019).
Pedro Viana
Senior Advisor in Foresight and Strategy
Foresight and Strategy Consultant at ALVA Research & Consulting and Advisor to the Dean and Vice-Deans at ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management (Univ. of Lisbon). He acts as Academic Reviewer in evaluation panels for the international accreditation of business schools. Simultaneously, he is working on his PhD in Management. Pedro was Executive Coordinator of Iscte BS and Invited Professor at Methodist University of Angola. He was Senior Management Consultant in strategy and finance at Accenture, after working as Business Analyst at Deloitte and Treasury Analyst at Philip Morris International. Pedro has over 15 years of professional experience, in Portugal and abroad, and solid expertise in management, foresight, strategy, governance, business processes, public administration, corporate finance and compliance.
Margarida Monteiro de Barros
Consultant
Specialized in applied strategic innovation. Senior consultant and manager with more than 15 years’ experience in innovation consulting between Spain, UK and Portugal, working in different industrial sectors, companies and markets. Since 2005 works in the Sustainability arena focus applying design thinking to help businesses becoming more resilience. PhD in Innovation for Sustainability. From 2011 to 2013 worked in Amorim Cork Composites. Currently, from October 2013 on, is partly dedicated to research at CEG-IST developing research in the area of social innovation and innovation for sustainability. Since January 2016 collaborates with ALVA Research & Consulting. Since September 2016, is an invited lecturer in IST.
Maria Carvalho
Consultant & Researcher
Specialised in administration and investment in the arts, holds a BSc in International Business and a MA in Management of the Arts and Culture, both from Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Completed a post-graduate degree in Art Markets and Collections from NOVA FCSH.
Experience in the management and production of art projects at Fundação Caixa Geral de Depósitos – Culturgest, Prémio Arte Jovem – Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa, and private companies operating in artistic distribution and communication. Currently a Teaching Assistant at NOVA SBE and focusing on research into art investment solutions and innovation for the cultural sector.
João Fiadeiro
Consultant
Invited Professor of the ISCTE (University Institute of Lisbon) Complex Systems Studies PhD Programme where he is responsible for the Social Stigmergy discipline. He is one of the most relevant choreographers of his generation. An extensive part of João’s education and training was carried out between Lisbon, New York and Berlin. Later, he joined the Companhia de Dança de Lisboa [Lisbon Dance Company] (1986-88) and the Gulbenkian Ballet (1989-90). In 1990 founded Atelier RE.AL to develop and promote is own peformances but also to promote and present other emergent and transdisciplinar artists. Won the ACARTE/Madalena Azeredo Perdigão Award for his groundbreaking work. Invited artist and speaker in several main European and South American Theatres and Universities; co-director of the center AND_Lab (2011-14).
Artur Furtado
Invited Speaker
Head of the Health Program and Chronic Diseases Unit of the European Commission. Collaborator of the Cochrane Review, The Economist, several think tanks in the area of public health, and forecasting initiatives. Previously Head of communication of the Commission's Representation in Lisbon; worked in the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Employment of Portugal, as an Investment Advisor at the Portuguese Investment Agency and in research and consultancy. As a volunteer, occasionally lectures at the university and has organized a Public speaking and Debating Academy. Graduated in Economics, holds a MSc. in Management and a degree in History.
Marco Alves
Invited Consultant
PhD e M.Sc. em Engenharia Mecânica e M.Sc. em Gestão e Estratégia.
É atualmente o chief innovation officer (CIO) do CoLab + Atlantic, tendo anteriormente ocupado o cargo de coordenador de modelação numérica no WavEC-Offshore Renewables, e sido também investigador visitante no Imperial College, Londres. Tem experiência em vários campos científicos, incluindo sistemas de controlo de engenharia, simulação numérica linear e não linear, dinâmica de fluidos, engenharia costeira e dinâmica de corpos flutuantes. O seu percurso profissional tem sido centrado principalmente no desenvolvimento de energias renováveis marinhas, área na qual ele tem ampla experiência no apoio técnico e estratégico a tecnólogos, em estreita colaboração com a ALVA R&C.
Lydia Caldana
Consultant
Lydia Caldana is a foresight strategist who creates fairer futures in the present. With 10+ years of experience in futures-making in both private and public sectors, Lydia identifies emerging behaviors and technologies that guide macro shifts in society to help institutions navigate change in sustainable ways. Her Global South perspective and Global North experience equip her with key systemic, strategic, research, analytical and forecasting skills that apply to organizations ranging from UN-Habitat to Google, Lisbon City Hall, Nike, Unilever, Spotify, among others. In addition, Lydia carries self-started initiatives, including Future Resources, a platform to democratize access to foresight and promote diversity in the industry, Future Days, an actionable futures festival with participatory foresight at the core co-founded with other members, Latin Futures Association (ALAF) where she is founder and president, and Femmetopia, a speculative design project with artist Maria Clara Pessoa that imagines a world built by women through generative AI images.