Patrícia Silva Castro

Patrícia Silva Castro holds a degree in Management from Universidade do Minho and specialised in Entrepreneurship and Family Business Management at AUDAX (ISCTE). She currently leads the Industry, Commerce and Tourism division at the Municipality of Paços de Ferreira, coordinating economic development, business investment, innovation and industrial upskilling initiatives in close cooperation with the region's business and institutional fabric, science and technology entities and territorial development agencies. She was also part of the team that created the Association for the Centre of Technology and Innovation for Wood and Furniture, dedicated to promoting innovation, technology and competitiveness in one of the region's main exporting industries, where she currently chairs the Board of Directors. She is the author and coordinator of the "Indústria na minha Terra" and "Capital do Móvel Tech Challenge" programmes — initiatives that reflect one of her main areas of interest: strengthening industrial competitiveness through talent, skills and innovation.