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Cláudia Costa Santos

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Clementina Freitas

CEO of Latino Confecções

She chose to work for herself when she was not given the opportunities she felt she deserved. She had already been head of sales and commercial director of two textile companies and founded a company in the 80s, Latino, and immediately got a major UK brand as a customer. A few years later, she was manufacturing military uniforms for Angola, and from that point onwards increased investment in technical/professional clothing, focusing on innovation, with production almost entirely exported to various parts of the world. She has always dreamed of evolving, of being independent, and the results show that she took the right steps.

Clementina Freitas
Having always worked in a sector as unpredictable as textiles, can you imagine your career if you had not become a businesswoman?
I always remember myself as a very determined and independent person from an early age. The dream to evolve, to grow, has always been part of my imagination. If I had not become a businesswoman, I would certainly be a dedicated and responsible professional, even when working for someone else. The advantage of being a businesswoman is, in essence, being able to have more control over implementing our dreams and the vision that we have to achieve success.

There is increasing talk of entrepreneurialism. What suggestions would you give to anyone who wants to set up their own business?
The same advice I gave to my two sons, both successful entrepreneurs in different areas of the textile industry. If they want to set up a business, they should be prepared to work hard and know how to take risks. They need to understand that taking risks is part of the business, but that it will have to be very well measured and controlled. Be prepared to learn with humility. Surround yourself with the right people and help the people who work with you evolve. Work with passion, because only then can we overcome any difficulties that arise. Address day-to-day difficulties before they turn into problems.
«It was the fact that I was a woman that made me become a businesswoman»
Does being a businesswoman in the textile sector in 2018 cause you any kind of difficulty?
It was the fact that I was a woman that made me become a businesswoman in 1986, because the company I worked for didn’t accept women for the position I applied for. I believe that since then, and up until now, the fact of being a woman has never inhibited me or created major difficulties. Of course I’m not going to gloss over the truth; it is much harder for a woman to succeed than a man in the same circumstances.

In the area in which you work, where innovation is decisive, how do you deal with companies from more developed countries?
Joining forces with the best. At Latino we have created a R&D centre; internally we have thrown down challenges that have helped us to evolve, we accept challenges from clients to develop different and innovative products, we share and receive knowledge through partnerships with technological and university bodies, we participate in events. We view innovation as our path to sustained growth.

What is the most challenging product you are developing?
A product in the field of ballistics, with sensors to monitor the status of the individual and interaction with the command post.
T. Sérgio Gomes da Costa
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