We are a Global Impact Business School that brings together extraordinary people who want to solve the biggest societal challenges of our times!

Who we are

We educate leaders and organizations to get beyond better, beyond profit and beyond their impact.

IES-Social Business School is the first Business School focused on Social Innovation that aims to inspire and build capacity on impact agents, solving neglected and important societal problems through scalable, innovative and sustainable solutions, regardless the organizational framework!

We don’t believe in masters - our students know more than any one expert, so they are the basis of our learning model
We work with practitioners - all our tools need to have a practical application
We push people to change the world - everything we do needs to be inspiring and a call to action
We are where we are most needed - our model is community based and our approach is people centred
We use the collective intelligence of our network – The community is an extension of our learning process and an important asset to produce change

Our Vision

We believe in a New Economic Order where organizations prioritize value creation for society, regardless of their legal form - Impact Economy!

Our Partners

We are a growing community that relies on very special partners.
They are tireless people and organizations, always pushing us beyond our organizational boundaries.

Institutional Partners

Honorary Associates

Associados Premium

Our manifesto

We believe in you.
We believe in your potencial to change the world since day one.

We laid the first stone in this ecosystem. The one that we are all proud of today. We committed to a vision, we triggered debates, we brought people together, we started a movement, we built the path to the unknown. But there’s more to come!
That is why we are pioneers, disruptors, trendsetters and ambitious believers, always looking for an impact in the world.

We believe that you are the change.

The greatest challenges of today require bold, fearless and impactful leaders who can change the world for the better.
We are the Business School that empowers and inspires people to create an impact in the society. This means to help entrepreneurs, managers and leaders to ride a journey of a lifetime – bringing impact to their lives, to their businesses and to the society. We are here to help you rise, shift and lead for impact!

We do not believe in masters but we do work alongside the best.

This is why we stand for collective intelligence as the source of knowledge and learning. We are here to bridge the artificial gaps across sectors, experiences and beliefs.
We are a community that embraces diversity, informality and candour, as a force for good and improvement. That is why our community is our gem at the core of everything we do. Our campus is where you are, overcoming obstacles, facing roadblocks and celebrating achievements. We want to take you to next level. Beyond your impact. Are you ready?

Our team

Carlos Azevedo
President of the Board of Directors
President of the Board of Directors and Strategic Advisor at IES-Social Business School, Carlos is a University Professor and author of several books on Social Innovation such as “Managing Nonprofit Organizations - the challenge of social Innovation”, “The Social Entrepreneur’s Guide to Changing the World” and “Governance Manual for Nonprofit Organizations - the leadership challenge of social innovation”. Carlos is curious and loves new challenges. He is addicted to reading and he is passionate about details. Has a problem with messy places and takes Marie Kondo’s “Konmari method” very seriously.
Nuno Victor
CFOO
Co-author of “RDISS - Sustainable Social Initiatives Development Framework”, Nuno worked 9 years at a northern non-profit organization as Head of Department of Innovation and Sustainability and supported other social sector organizations in the Oporto district as management consultor. With a degree in Business Administration (Portuguese Catholic University – Porto), his passions are not only numbers. He’s a technology curious, a music addicted, loves wave-riding sports and does not miss a movie from the Star Wars franchise.
Inês Alexandre
CEO
Executive Director of IES-Social Business School, Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise 2022. The person with the most ideas per centimeter (it's easy, 154cm of human). Youth Advisor to the Presidency of the Republic: Member of the Reflection Group "The Future has Already Begun". Advisor and former CEO of the Transformers Movement, Co-Founder of the Collective Matéria, and Founder of They-Lab. Was Innovation Advisor in the Office of the Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security and an active part of the IES trainers' community since 2015, serving as Bootcamp Leader and Trainer. Disorder bothers her a lot, but she leaves Marie Kondo's method to Carlos.