Nokia and Iscte Business School (IBS) formalized an agreement that establishes cooperation in the advancement of digitalization and process automation in finance. The partnership includes initiatives that aim to promote academic-business cooperation between the two organizations, with focus on innovation in the finance area, as Nokia continues to grow the Global Business Services Center inaugurated last year, at amadora.

“Our Global Business Services Center is a strategic center of competences for Nokia globally and it’s growing rapidly. Already offers services that are a pillar of Nokia financial operations in Southwest Europe, Central and North America and Middle East of Africa. Promoting a close academic-entrepreneurial exchange is part of our strategy to continuously research new areas, innovate our services and stay competitive.”

Nokia and Iscte Business School will promote joint events, lectures and workshops which will be participated by both communities, connecting students and teachers with Nokia’s Global Business Services Center personnel in Portugal. “We intend to be close to Iscte Business School students, understand and discuss their interests, and give them an opportunity to also understand the business reality of an important player in the market and what they can expect from it. We want to create an environment where we can all share knowledge and experiences openly”, explains Sérgio Catalão.

The recognition of the best students in selected curricula is also part of the company's commitment to the objective of creating a long-term fruitful partnership. In this academic year, Nokia will distinguish the 3 best students to complete 3 curricular units in the area of Finance and Accounting. For the next academic year, this distinction is expected to be extended to 6 students.

For Maria João Cortinhal, director of Iscte Business School, “students will benefit from unique opportunities in a company that is significantly increasing its structure in Portugal, experiencing an international environment, working from Portugal to the most different parts of the globe. The development of their careers in the financial areas of a very important global player is, in itself, a very attractive element for students”.

“Iscte Business School has been widely recognized over the years as one of the best business management universities in Europe, having made important contributions to the financial and business sectors”, says Sérgio Catalão. It was therefore, a natural choice and we hope that these students eventually become part of the Nokia team”.

“This relationship will make all the difference in terms of technical-scientific research, as it opens doors for the transfer of knowledge and for the adaptation of programs to the new needs of global companies”, explains Maria João Cortinhal. “Higher education has a huge impact on preparing students for the job market. We could not, therefore, be more honored with the recognition of the quality of our institution promoted, above all, by the enormous talent of the students”.

Nokia's Global Business Services Center in Portugal, located in Alfragide, embraces a wide range of finance-related services, like order-to-cash, source-to-pay, data management, business processes, among others, essential for Nokia’s financial operations. The company continues to ramp up the center and is hiring for several positions.