Event information
The Legal 500 is thrilled to be heading back to sunny and colourful Lisbon to host the GC Summit: Portugal 2025, on April 29th. An event tailored exclusively for the country’s esteemed corporate legal community, it aims to offer a platform for networking and knowledge sharing while featuring insights from an incredible lineup of distinguished speakers.
The conference will explore some of the trendiest topics in the country, addressing pressing challenges, emerging opportunities, and strategic developments affecting in-house counsel. Between comprehensive panel discussions, interactive sessions and the opportunity to meet and engage with fellow corporate counsel, the GC Summit: Portugal promises to be a practical, forward-looking event bringing together some of the country’s top legal minds.
Beyond expert insights, the conference provides a unique opportunity to connect with peers, exchange best practices, and stay ahead of evolving responsibilities. The event will culminate in an afternoon of refreshments and networking, ensuring attendees leave with new connections, actionable takeaways and new ideas to implement within their own organisations.
The Legal 500 extends a special invitation to Portugal’s in-house counsel and legal professionals, uniting them for a forward-looking agenda of discussions on the future of corporate legal leadership in 2025 and beyond. Be sure to register and stay updated on the latest event developments.
Join us in shaping the future of corporate counsel in Portugal!
Agenda
8.30am – 9.00am Registration and refreshments
9.00am – 9.10am Welcome address
- Francisco Castro, research editor, Legal 500
9.10am – 10.00am AI in Cybersecurity: Opportunities and Legal Risks
This panel will explore the evolving role of AI in cybersecurity, focusing on both defensive and offensive applications. Key topics will include the use of AI for anomaly detection and automated threat response, as well as the risks posed by malicious actors exploiting AI. Legal liability concerns surrounding AI failures and harm will be discussed, along with incident response strategies in the AI era, covering reputation management, breach detection, legal exposure, and reporting obligations. The session will also address essential contractual considerations when working with AI vendors, such as data sharing, algorithmic liability, and security guarantees. Finally, experts will discuss emerging trends in regulatory enforcement related to AI and cybersecurity, offering insights into future challenges and compliance requirements.
- Ricardo Henriques, partner, Abreu Advogados
10.00am – 10.50am The CLO challenges in Mastering Change and Transformation
Organisations face continuous change, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for innovation and improvement. This panel delves into the role of the Chief Legal Officer (CLO) in steering through these complexities and tech disruptions, championing transformation, and fostering a culture of curiosity and openness within the Legal team. The question becomes, can leaders do all of this while making sure the human touch remains the cornerstone of the legal function?
- Mónica Moreira, managing partner, Deloitte
10.50am – 11.05am Coffee Break
11.05am – 11.35am Opportunities and Competition Challenges in the Digital Age
Are you prepared for the challenges of competition law in this digital age? In a dynamic environment where artificial intelligence and data analysis are transforming the way businesses operate, competitive challenges are placing new demands on in-house lawyers. This panel will explore the risks, opportunities, and best practices to ensure that innovation aligns with competition rules. Join this engaging discussion and discover how to turn challenges into opportunities, ensuring healthy competition adapted to the digital era.
- Rita Aleixo Gregório, partner, PLMJ
- Rui Braga, director, data science & AI, artificial intelligence center of excellence, Banco BPI
- Daniel Navas, CFO, COO and board member, Defined.ai
11.35am – 12.25pm Panel 4
12.25pm – 1.15pm Panel 5
1.15pm – 1.25pm Closing Remarks
1.25pm – 2.30pm Lunch and networking
Speakers
Ricardo Henriques, partner, Abreu Advogados
Ricardo Henriques is a Partner and Co-Head of IP and TMT, with 17 years of experience working primarily on matters related to intellectual property, information technology, personal data protection, media and advertising and telco.
He is also an official Industrial Property Agent and Arbitrator at ARBITRARE (Arbitration Centre for Industrial Property, Domain Names, Trade Names and Corporate Names) as well as arbitrator in several arbitration proceedings.
His experience focuses particularly on technology, on matters such as software licensing, compliance projects regarding emerging technologies and issues related to e-commerce. He has been working on several General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) implementation projects.
Ricardo advises start-ups to the largest market leading companies – regarding the protection and growth of brands patents and other industrial property rights, on an ongoing basis, providing support on advertising activities, including contests and games.
He frequently works with clients on preventing and/or resolving Intellectual Property and Information Technology litigation, focusing on copyrights and technology litigation, intellectual property and technology licensing, data protection and other regulatory issues.
He is an expert at advising wide-ranging national and multinational companies in industries such as automotive, pharmaceutical, services, healthcare, financial, consumer goods manufacturers, hardware and software developers, retail and online retail regarding matters related to intellectual property, compliance, information technology and data privacy and safety.
Mónica Moreira, managing partner, Deloitte
Mónica is a Partner and Head of the Mergers & Acquisitions practice at Deloitte Legal in Portugal. With 25 years of professional experience, her practice focuses primarily on M&A, Corporate and Commercial Law, and Competition Law.
She has led and actively participated in numerous domestic and cross-border transactions involving acquisitions and disposals, corporate restructurings, and mergers across a wide range of industries. Her work in this area includes designing reorganisation models, conducting due diligence, drafting and negotiating contractual instruments, and advising on regulatory approvals and business integration processes.
Mónica has also been involved in several privatisation processes—particularly in the infrastructure and transport sectors—and in the renegotiation of public-private partnerships.
In the field of Competition Law, she has extensive experience in merger control, having advised and led multiple notification processes before the Portuguese Competition Authority across various economic sectors. She also advises clients on restrictive practices, including vertical and horizontal agreements, particularly in the areas of distribution, import, and export, and has experience in matters related to State aid.
Rita Aleixo Gregório, partner, PLMJ
Rita is a partner in the European Competition practice at PLMJ. With over 20 years of experience, she has focused on advising clients on matters of Portuguese and European competition law, including state aid, cartels, merger control and damages actions.
With extensive experience in investigations, internal audits, training and compliance programmes, Rita has particular expertise in the civil aviation, distribution, energy, finance and waste management sectors, representing clients before the Competition Authority, the European Commission and national and European courts.
In the digital era, she stands out for advising on competition challenges related to artificial intelligence and data analysis, helping companies to innovate in compliance with competition rules. Before joining PLMJ, she was a managing associate at VdA and was part of the restrictive practices department of the Competition Authority.
Rui Braga, director, data science & AI, artificial intelligence center of excellence, Banco BPI
Rui holds a degree in Economics from ISEG, having previously studied at Stockholm University, and a Master’s degree in Management and Information Technology from Aston Business School, UK. He has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, 6 of which in international projects in Europe, America and Asia, having performed various functions in technical and business domains, always linked to the analytical area. Previously, he participated in the creation and development of the Data Science area of a leading financial institution in Portugal. Since 2022, he has been part of the AI Center of Excellence at Banco BPI, where he leads the Data Science and Data Engineering teams. In recent years, he has undertaken successive executive and hands-on training in the areas of AI and Data Science, with emphasis on MIT’s “Algorithmic Business Thinking” and the Lisbon Data Science Academy.
Daniel Navas, CFO, COO and board member, Defined.ai
With 20 years of experience, started his career at Deloitte as an audit and M&A analyst. Since then has worked in Scytl, Squircle and Defined.ai, where he has been instrumental for international expansion, organic and inorganic growth, processes and tools implementation and improve internal efficiencies. At Defined.ai he is currently the CFO and COO, managing all General & Administration, Research & Development and Sales & Marketing functions.
Francisco Castro, research editor, Legal 500
Francisco joined Legal 500 in August 2022, where he is part of the GC Powerlist series editorial team. His work focuses on researching, editing, and interviewing some of the most prominent and exceptional in-house counsel from the world’s largest companies. Francisco’s role also includes hosting a variety of in-person events, such as conferences, publication launches, roundtables, and one-on-one interviews, across multiple regions, all tailored specifically for the in-house legal community. He has also contributed to the Legal 500 webinar series, which delivers market-leading expertise through an engaging digital platform.
Beyond his work with Legal 500, Francisco has extensive research experience in Public Policy, Higher Education, and International Law. His additional academic interests include International Relations, Geopolitics, and International Humanitarian Law. Francisco is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
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Abreu Advogados is a Portuguese independent full-service law firm set to provide legal advice in this changing society and for over 30 years has been working daily to ensure that new solutions are created for every industry.
As the world changes and new challenges unexpectedly arise, people’s mindsets and the way business is conducted call for innovative, fast-adapting lawyers. Abreu Advogados invests in multidisciplinary, borderless teams that tackle increasingly complex transactions, breaking down barriers and established models, presenting a business-oriented vision and cost-effective solutions, anticipating its client’s needs.
Abreu Advogados is amongst the largest firms in Portugal, with a team is composed of more than 220 fee earners and over 330 professionals. Present in 10 locations, with offices in Lisbon, Porto and Funchal, as well as strategic partnerships in the Portuguese speaking countries, such as Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Macau and Timor-Leste.
PLMJ is a leading, national, independent law firm in Portugal that is focused on providing legal advice to the business sector, and we have one of the largest teams of lawyers in the country.
Leaders for over 50 years, we are proud of the culture we have built. We see our clients’ challenges as our own and we put our people at the centre of our strategy to always excel in delivering value to everyone who places their trust in us.
Our teams are made up of the best lawyers in the country, we provide a full-service, and we take a multidisciplinary approach. The agility of our teams combined with in-depth knowledge of the sectors where our clients operate is a defining feature of the way we position ourselves: as true legal partners.