The series of events is inspired by the theme ‘Aliados e Amigos – desde sempre e para sempre’ (Friends and Allies – since forever and forevermore), and will celebrate the strong ties of yesterday, today and the future, between Britain and Portugal.
The launch reception was aimed at connecting young British and Portuguese professionals, who have been successful in their fields both in Portugal and the UK, from arts to business, politics to education, culture to healthcare and banking.
The event was facilitated by Sofia Escobar (a world-renowned Portuguese soprano, most famous for her role as Christine in Phantom of the Opera and Maria in West Side Story, both in the West End) and Kenton Thatcher (a world-renowned British photographer, based in Lisbon, who has taken portraits of leading personalities such as José Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Piers Brosnan and Boris Johnson).
During the course of the evening, guests heard from a number of Portuguese and British voices, including Carlos Pinto (the Portuguese nurse who saved the life of one of the victims in the London Bridge attacks earlier this year), Anna Hobbiss (a British neuroscientist working at the famous Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon), Zita Martins (a Portuguese astrobiologist and Royal Society University Research Fellow at Imperial College, London), Patrick Dickie (the British Artist Director at the Portuguese National Opera), Daniel Encarnação, (a Portuguese businessman in the UK who runs a digital platform of support for the local Portuguese community), Lucy Crook (the British General Manager of Second Home Lisboa), Jethro Soutar (a British writer and translator living in Portugal) and Inês Domingos (a Portuguese Member of Parliament, Chair of the UK-Portugal Friendship Group, who has previously worked in the City in London).
Ambassador Kirsty Hayes said “This was a fantastic opportunity to forge new connections and friendships and to witness the enormous talent among people who are making important contributions to both our societies.”