I was born in 1980, I’m married and a proud father of three young children.
I joined Impresa in 2009 and became CEO in 2016. My background is in Law (Lisbon and Oxford) and I undertook several international post-grad management courses. I also had a brief spell at the Portuguese Mission to the United Nations in New York.
I believe that you can only be happy, productive and thrive if the company or entity in which you are employed has a strong sense of purpose. More than “what” or “who”, organizations must be able to give clear and constant answers to the “how” and “why” questions in order to attract and retain top talent. Transparency and candidness related to mission and values are also key for consumers and other stakeholders to feel that they “own” and are part of the organization.
I have been fortunate to have found my sense of purpose in the media industry. To be able to play such a crucial role in Portuguese society, through the delivery of credible, professional and quality information, is hugely fulfilling and rewarding. In these strange and challenging times, in which Covid-19 roams the Earth and walks hand in hand with other viruses such as disinformation and all sorts of populism and undemocratic practices, our purpose – from the reporters in the front line to the IT guys in the back office –becomes self-evident.
Journalism makes a difference. Values make a difference. In the media industry, you can only innovate and create new business models, revenue streams and products if everyone is on board and feels involved. This is one of my biggest challenges that keeps me up at night, but also what stimulates me most and makes me go to work with a smile on my face.
Francisco Pedro Balsemão is the CEO of Impresa, the largest media and entertainment company in Portugal, since March 2016. Previously (October 2012) he acted as Impresa’s COO responsible for Human Resources, Legal Affairs and Sustainability, as well as Company Secretary.
Impresa owns important and leading brands such SIC and SIC Notícias channels, Expresso newspaper and OPTO, the first Portuguese SVOD streaming service.
Francisco graduated in Law at Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Lisbon) and has a Masters Degree in Law (Magister Juris) by Oxford University (UK). He also undertook a General Course in Management at Nova School of Business and Economics (Lisbon), the Advanced Management Program at Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Lisbon) and Kellogg School of Management (Chicago), the Orchestrating Winning Performance /Leading the Family Business program at IMD Business School (Lausanne) and Journey to Business Transformation by Esade Business School at Singularity University, NASA Research Park (Silicon Valley).
Francisco began his career in 2003, as an Associate at Linklaters (Lisbon) and later as a Human Resources Consultant in Heidrick & Struggles (Lisbon). He also worked as an Assistant Attaché in the Portuguese Mission to the United Nations (New York).
Francisco is a member of the Faculty Council at the Law Faculty of Universidade Nova de Lisboa (2018-2021).
