Iscte Business School celebrated the academic excellence and future of its graduates at the 2026 Master’s Graduation Ceremony, which took place on 7 May at Centro Cultural de Belém. The event brought together graduates, families, lecturers, companies and institutional partners, serving as a moment to recognise academic merit and celebrate the achievements of the new graduates.

A performance by the Iscte Choir marked the start of the ceremony, welcoming the community in attendance.

In her opening address, the Rector of Iscte, Professor Helena Carreiras, addressed the graduates, highlighting their academic journey as a transformative experience. In her speech, she emphasised that the true value of the academic experience lies in the path taken, the challenges overcome and the learning acquired over time, reinforcing Iscte’s role as a space for growth, discovery and personal transformation.

The 2025 graduates were honoured with Master's degrees from the 16 Master's programmes at Iscte Business School during the ceremony. The event also included the presentation of the Best Student Awards, which recognised those who achieved the highest grades. These awards were supported by a wide range of corporate partners, including:  BNP Paribas, Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Cegoc, Deloitte, El Corte Inglés, Essity, EY, Fidelidade, Forvis Mazars, Hospital da Cruz Vermelha, Jerónimo Martins, KPMG, Lidl, Oniverse, PortoBay Hotels & Resorts and PwC.

The Best Lecturer Awards were also presented to recognise lecturers who were distinguished by the graduates throughout their academic journey.

The ceremony also included the presentation of scholarships and academic distinctions, supported by the Rodrigo Guimarães Institute and Explorer Investments. This reinforced these institutions’ commitment to promoting merit, equal opportunities, and social impact.

Throughout the afternoon, participants were encouraged to share moments from the ceremony on social media using the hashtag #IscteToTheWorld. This initiative highlighted the digital aspect of the event and the international reach of the academic experience.

The singer ZINHA provided the artistic element, accompanying the ceremony with several musical performances and contributing to the celebratory atmosphere throughout the session.

The Dean of Iscte Business School, Maria de Fátima Salgueiro, addressed the graduates, highlighting the role of academic education in shaping career paths that are both impactful and responsible:

Today, we celebrate far more than the completion of an academic cycle. We celebrate resilience, ambition, personal growth, and the courage to invest in the future. You have completed a demanding journey — one marked by difficult choices, long hours of work, academic pressure, and the challenge of balancing personal life, studies and, for many of you, professional responsibilities.

The Iscte Business School exists not only to transmit knowledge. It exists to develop leaders capable of making decisions in complex environments, creating value with responsibility, and generating a positive impact on teams, organizations, and society.

In a world shaped by uncertainty, profound social change, rapid technological transformation, and the challenges brought by artificial intelligence, the knowledge you acquired at Iscte Business School will be important — but it will not be enough. The world expects from you critical thinking, adaptability, emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, and a global mindset. It expects leaders capable of combining competence with humanity; of building organizations that are both more innovative and more human; of creating sustainable growth; of making difficult decisions with courage; and of using your talent not only to achieve personal success, but also to contribute to a better society.

Congratulations on your achievement. I wish you extraordinary careers, inspiring challenges, and the courage to seize the opportunities that the future will bring, always finding purpose in what you do.

With strong support from the academic and business communities, the 2026 Master’s Graduation Ceremony established itself as one of Iscte Business School’s most significant institutional events, reflecting its commitment to academic excellence, employability and the development of leaders equipped to meet the challenges of a global environment.

Take a look at the photo report here.