Ana Clara Silva

With 39 years of professional experience, I can say that I am a dedicated and outstanding civil servant in various areas of intervention, including public finance, social action and health. I have expertise in the formulation, execution and strategic planning of public-social policies. Entrepreneurial and forward-thinking, I was responsible for creating and implementing a public department that serves as the basis for the Integrated Governance of Public Policies for Longevity. This department ensures the implementation of policies to protect against the vulnerabilities associated with ageing. The development of this policy initiative, a pioneer in the European context and in the remote region of Madeira, reflects the importance of longevity governance and universal protection in ageing.

As Regional Director for Integrated Policies and Longevity, I passionately defended the themes of the Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030 and planned initiatives to promote favourable environments for ageing and longevity, tackling the challenges associated with ageing. The implementation, expansion, development and strengthening of long-term care have been priorities in my work.

My professional career includes various roles in the field of ageing, as a member of the Working Group that created the Regional Plan for Active Ageing from 2016 to 2019, and as a member of the Management Committee of the Gerontological Plan of the Autonomous Region of Madeira from 2009 to 2013. As Technical Coordinator of the Continuing Care Network of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, I was instrumental in creating a significant investment within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This investment was directed towards funding the Next Generation Recovery and Resilience Facility, established by the European Council, with the aim of creating 1080 integrated responses/continuing care teams in the field of mental health, especially in relation to symptoms of dementia linked to ageing.

Interviewed by Laurinda Alves

With a career spanning communication, leadership, and social impact, Laurinda Alves is a professional with more than 40 years of experience in Media and Communication, Training, and Social Transformation initiatives.

She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Social Communication from NOVA University Lisbon and enhanced her education through the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programme (2009) in Fontainebleau, France, deepening her commitment to social change.

Founder and director of the Academy of Purpose at Nova SBE (2018–2021), she taught Communication, Leadership, and Ethics at the same institution between 2011 and 2022. She also collaborated with the Universidade Católica Portuguesa as a lecturer in the Leadership Lab (2009–2011), and over more than two decades worked as a speaker and guest professor in various institutions and companies, focusing on themes such as education, human skills, and leadership development.

Laurinda Alves has left a lasting mark on the Portuguese media landscape, taking on roles such as:
• Executive Director of the Estoril Conferences and of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion area at Nova SBE (since 2023).
• Author and host of notable programmes such as Imperdíveis on Rádio Observador (2019–2022) and television series on RTP and SIC, including Feitos em Portugal and Primeiros Anos.
• Columnist and interviewer for publications such as the digital newspaper Observador and Público.
• Founder and director of XIS magazine (1999–2008) and Pais & Filhos magazine (1996–1998).
• Journalist and Senior Reporter with experience at RTP, TSF, and O Independente.

Publications
Author of nine collections of short stories published between 2000 and 2021, and of the book Entre Gerações (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2011).

Her passion for social impact is reflected in her work as cofounder and volunteer in several organisations, including:
• Academia do Johnson (youth at risk), since 2014.
• Associação Salvador (inclusion of people with disabilities) and Acreditar (support for children with cancer and their families).
• Network of Young Social Entrepreneurs and Acredita Portugal (business angels).

With a singular career combining journalism, teaching, leadership, and volunteering, she continues to inspire and transform lives.