The Belmiro de Azevedo Model for Corporate Sustainability: Investment and Continuous Training
Even after his death, Belmiro de Azevedo left a legacy in terms of the management and leadership of Sonae. His first contact with the company wasn't positive: he described it as "finding too many gadgets" and "I just didn't understand how a banker managed to put money in there, because it had no feet or head", so his first focus "was to undo the whole thing".
Given this scenario, the question arises: how did Belmiro de Azevedo manage to elevate the brand to what it is today?
His vision was simple and focused on the company's proposed objectives, based on the belief that human capital was an organisation's most valuable resource.
To this end, the former leader of the Sonae Group implemented a series of initiatives that reflected his vision:
Investment in Vocational Training
Belmiro de Azevedo believed that investing in employee training not only increased productivity, but also fostered innovation within the company.
As such, the Sonae Group implemented a human resources policy that placed professional training as a strategic priority. It invested in training and professional development programmes that encompassed specific technical skills and interpersonal skills, such as leadership and management.
These programmes were designed to ensure that employees were always up to date with the latest trends and changes, able to respond to market demands and new technologies.
Learning Culture
The learning culture promoted by the former leader of the Sonae Group emphasised that continuous learning should be a shared responsibility between the company and its employees.
This mentality created a more dynamic and adaptable working environment, which encouraged employees to continually improve their skills and performance.
Management was encouraged to lead by example, taking part in training programmes and encouraging their teams to do the same.
Corporate University
Belmiro de Azevedo supported the establishment of a corporate university for Sonae, which served as a means of learning and development for all its employees. It was an important milestone in the consolidation of the training and development strategy, enabling a variety of courses that met the immediate needs of the company and the long-term aspirations of its employees.
With a broad educational offer, ranging from technical courses to advanced management modules, the corporate university has become a central pillar in the group's professional development structure.
As an alternative to a corporate university, many companies choose to acquire digital academies through other organisations.
Innovation and Competitiveness
With the vision that innovation was directly influenced by employee training, the Sonae Group changed its approach to the market.
Continuous training was seen as a strategic investment that could lead to innovations that would give the Sonae Group a competitive edge over its competitors.
The company led the way in innovation, developing new products, services and processes that differentiated the group, strengthening its position in the market and attracting strategic partners and new business opportunities.
Valuing Human Resources
Belmiro de Azevedo emphasised that employees should be seen as partners in the business, arguing that respecting and valuing employees was essential for business success.
As a result, a sense of belonging and commitment was created that transcended the traditional working environment. This mutual respect between management and employees helped foster a more collaborative and innovative working environment, in which everyone felt motivated to contribute to the company's collective success.
It is the progressive vision of people management that transforms the company. At Grupo Oporto Forte, we support the whole process of continuous improvement through tailor-made training, making teams more competitive and innovative.