David Friedman is one of the biggest names of the Chicago school of economics today, continuing the legacy of his father, Milton Friedman, founder of the Monetarist School of Thought. He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s in Chemistry and Physics, and received his master's and doctorate in Physics from the University of Chicago. Even so, he decided to focus on his passions: economics and law. Even so, he decided to focus on his passions: economics and law. In his most famous book, “The Machinery of Freedom”, he defends the capitalist and free market system and presents his vision of how the roles that a State performs in society, nowadays, can be performed voluntarily by the free market, including the legal system. He is also the author of more than 6 books on economics, law and libertarianism, including “Future Imperfect: Technology and Freedom in an Uncertain World” and “Legal Systems Very Different From Ours”. He gives lectures all over the world, teaching us to see the effects of economic and legal policies beyond the visible, on one group, and, more importantly, the effects that are not immediately visible, on everyone else.

Ricardo Rio was born in 1972, he is married and father of three daughters. He graduated in Economics at the Faculty of Economics of Porto, where he also completed the coursework of the MSc in Economics. He also completed the Advanced Course in Political Studies of the Institute of Political Studies at the Catholic University of Lisbon. At a public level, Ricardo Rio is the Mayor of Braga since 2013. He is President of the Executive Council of the Intermunicipal Community of Cávado and chairs the Boards of Directors of Municipal Companies Theatro Circo and InvestBraga. He is a member of the Committee of the Regions, of the EUROCITIES network Excom and a member of the board of ATP (Porto Tourism Association). He is also, since 2016, one of the OECD's champions of inclusive growth. In 2022, he was awarded the “World Mayor for Sustainability”, given by The City Mayors Foundation. In 2023 he was elected as the new president of the Executive Committee of the Global Parliament of Mayors, a network that brings together mayors from all over the world. Before 2013, he was a private and public consultant to several institutions and he taught in different Universities and Polytechnic Institutes.

Graduated in Economics from the University of Porto (1972). He was Visiting Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto from 1975 until December 2009, when he retired, having been responsible for teaching and conducting courses at the level of Bachelors and Masters in Economics and Management, focusing on the areas of economic development, globalisation, innovation and macroeconomics. He has been a consultant in Portugal since 1980, namely for the Northern Region Coordination Commission, advising the Presidency (1980-1992), and for several municipalities, in the field of cross-border and inter-regional cooperation, on the evaluation the dynamics of spatial evolution in the Northern Region and local planning and development. As an international consultant, he has collaborated in international studies for the Commission of the European Communities, namely in the field of studies of territorial perspective, inter-regional and cross-border cooperation and the evaluation of the European employment strategy. He joined the Board of Directors of Quaternaire Portugal in 1994, having been, between March 1999 and May 2018, the Chair of the Board of Directors. Since 8 May 2018, he took over the company's Strategy and Innovation Department. At Quaternaire Portugal, he has technically and scientifically coordinated studies for the evaluation of public programmes and policies (with emphasis on the interventions of the European Structural and Investment Funds in Portugal), sectoral and territorial, works in the area of territorial development and strategic planning, of the innovation economy and employment and training policies. He has a large number of works published in the area of regional development and strategic planning, most recently in research in collective projects for the International Labour Organization and the European Commission, in collaboration with Maria Pilar González and Luís Delfim Santos (Faculty of Engineering at University of Porto) and Hugo Figueiredo (University of Aveiro and CIPES - Research Centre for Higher Education Policies), in the domains of the effects of the crisis and austerity policies in the European social model, in the evolution of the middle classes and in the world of labour and industrial relations in general, already published jointly by the International Labour Organization and the English publisher Edward Elgar, under the coordination of Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead. He is co-author of the blog "Interesse Privado, Acção Pública".

Born in Porto (1953). Degree in Economics (FEP-UP, 1970/75), PhD in Economics and International Finance (U. Paris I, 1984) and International Economic Relations (UP, 1986), Holder of the Aggregate Degree in Economics (ISEG-UTL, 1999). Lecturer and Professor at FEP, his most constant activity (1975/2010) throughout almost five decades of his professional career. He was, among other roles, Associate Researcher at CEPII (Paris, 1981/83), Director and Board member at the BPA Group (1984/96), Secretary of State for Competitiveness and Internationalization (XIII Constitutional Government-António Guterres, 1996/ 97), President of the Fund for the Internationalization of Portuguese Companies (FIEP, 1998/2003), member of corporate bodies in several companies and institutions (2004/2016) and President of CCDRN - the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (2016/2020). He was a Professor at several Higher Education Institutions (Universidade Católica Portuguesa; ISEE and Porto Business School; IESF; Universidade Portucalense) and actively collaborated, as an expert and consultant in the regional and European fields and internationalization and international management, with the Ministry of Finance (1986/87) and the State Secretariat for Foreign Trade (1991), the EU Economic and Social Committee (1990/91), the AEP and other business associations (from 1989 to the present), the ICEP (2000/02) and the Innovation Agency (2007/11) and numerous companies and business groups; He was also a member, representing Portugal, of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the European Commission (2008/12). He is currently President of the General Council of the University of Porto, as well as Vice-President of the Fundação Casa da Música and member of the Advisory Council of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto and Católica Porto Business School. He is the author or co-author of several national and international works, papers, studies and reports and of various regular collaborations in the media and blogosphere. Awarded by the President of the Portuguese Republic with the Grand Cross of the Order of Infante D. Henrique (2006).

Master in Financial Monetary Economics from ISEG, Pedro has a career of more than 20 years in regulation and supervision of the financial system. Although passionate about financial markets and financial regulation, Pedro began his career in statistics at INE. Throughout his professional experience he had the privilege of learning with colleagues from diverse backgrounds by participating in numerous groups of national and international regulators within the scope of ESMA and IOSCO. He joined the Single Supervisory Mechanism project, a pillar of the European Banking Union, since its inception. At the European Central Bank part of his time was also dedicated to overseeing payment systems and monitoring innovation in this area. Currently in direct supervision of credit institutions, follows with interest developments in crypto-assets or artificial intelligence as well as inroads of credit institutions in innovative areas. Pedro loves the sea, the beach and Portugal and, being away, he takes every opportunity to return to his origins.

Cláudia Lourenço has been the General Manager of Procter & Gamble Portugal since 2018. With a degree in management from ISCTE, she began her professional career at P&G in 1998, through an internship, and it is at the multinational that she has developed her career. She started in the sales area and her experiences have also gone through trade marketing, leading the P&G Prestige business unit, having an Iberian role, and also being Commercial Director of P&G Portugal. She currently leads a team of more than 150 employees, advocating that "To lead is to be at the service of people". Mother of four children, Cláudia balances her time between family, business, physical activity and volunteering in solidarity organizations and the promotion of gender equality.

Diana Bonfim is a senior economist (Team Lead) in the Financial Intermediation Division of the Economics and Research Department of Banco de Portugal and an adjunct full professor at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics. She is currently visiting part-time the ECB, at DGR-FIR. Diana is a CEPR Research Fellow in Banking and Corporate Finance and in Monetary Economics and Fluctuations. Diana holds a Degree in Economics from ISCTE, a Research M.A. in Economics from Nova SBE and a Ph.D in Economics from University of Groningen. At Banco de Portugal, Diana has been involved in financial stability, monetary and macroeconomic assessments, as well as on discussions concerning the implementation of macroprudential policy at the EU level. At Católica, Diana has been involved in advising master dissertations and teaching since 2012. Her research interests comprise empirical banking, corporate finance, and the transmission of monetary policy. She is an associate editor at the International Journal of Central Banking, Journal of Financial Stability, Emerging Markets Review, and Economic Notes. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the International Banking Research Network and a former president of the International Banking, Economics, and Finance Association.

Jorge Lúcio has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry. From 2006, he has been the Regulatory Affairs Director of Galp, initially on the Gas & Power business managing the transformation of Galp’s natural gas activities (unbundling of Supply, Retail and Distribution activities) until the complete energy market opening in Portugal, following the transposition of the European Directives on the Energy Common Market. With the development of the regulatory framework, the Regulation Area has been expanding its intervention to other Galp’s business activities and geographies. Since 2020 he is also the Director for the Commercialization of Last Resort Supply for Natural Gas. Galp’s representative at ERSE’s Consulting Council since 2008, an independent board of the Portuguese Energy Regulator. Chairman of APEG (Associação Portuguesa de Empresas de Gás), the professional association of gas industry in Portugal since 2021. Representative of Galp in various professional fora such as International Gas Union and EFET (European Federation of Energy Traders). He has an extensive experience as Project Director, both at Galp where he led the development of the “Natural Gas Underground Storage in Salt Caverns in Portugal” from 1999 to 2006 (the facilities were since acquired by REN), and at Parque Expo 98 for the “Environmental Remedial Program at the Site of the World Exhibition EXPO’98 in Lisbon” (1993-1998). In both cases he led the projects from the conceptual design phase to procurement, construction works and commissioning (UGS) and remediation (EXPO site). He holds a Chemical Engineering MSc. from Lisbon University (IST), with Honours, with Post Graduation Studies in Management and Economic Regulation from the Portuguese Catholic University. 

- Honors degree from Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, jun 83 and High School, Colégio Militar, 1977; - Trainning as “journalist in a conflict zone and hostile environement” by Portugal´s army, 2008; - Professional journalist for 41 years, 16 of them in foreign assignments and as Bureau Chief in Southern Africa (Maputo and Johannesburg), presently senior reporter with Portuguese public tv RTP; - Covered five war conflicts mainly in Africa (Angola, Great Lakes, Mozambique, ANC armed struggle in South Africa, Swapo in the then African Southwest, now Namibia) but also in Lebanon and lately in Ukraine (four rotations); - Interviewed four Peace Nobel Prizes (Nelson Mandela, Frederik de Klerk, Desmond Tutu and Denis Mukwege) and dozens of international leaders and personalities; - Coordinated and presented Portuguese public tv (RTP) International Affairs weekly program “Olhar o Mundo”, voted for six years in a row Portugal's best television program on that field until 2017; - Author of seven books related with those experiences, namely “Homens Vestidos de Peles Diferentes” (Editora Ulmeiro), “Selva Urbana” (Editora Colibri), “Mandela, a Construção de um Homem” (Oficina do Livro), “Mandela o Rebelde Exemplar” (Editora Planeta), “Angola: O regresso do Fim do Mundo” (Editora Planeta), “Olhar o Mundo” (Marcador) and “Zona de Impacto” (Clube do Autor).