have had the highest honour and responsibility of presiding over ATP’s board over the last three years. The elections at the end of July initiated a new cycle in the life of this institution, that we all wish to be strong and more dynamic in the future, benefiting all the companies represented by it.

It is also time to review the mandate that now ends and that, without a doubt, I consider very positive.

The sector has grown in business volume, employment, investment and exports, completing a long period of expansion, which brought back to its full strength the Portuguese textile and clothing industry, providing a promising future for which we are all working.

We have shown society that traditional industries can modernize and conquer markets on a global scale, differentiated by value, innovation, creativity and intensity of service.

It was a central pledge during this mandate to recover the sector’s image, which hasn’t always been under due consideration by the governing bodies, the media or even society in general. A difficulty that was overcome by the international promotion of the “Made in Portugal” as a label of quality and prestige. In addition, the sector became attractive for young talents, looking to regenerate the corporate fabric with new and more qualified professionals, and with new entrepreneurs, in several domains, including in the industry’s support services.

It is with an enormous satisfaction that I state, unequivocally, that our central pledge was delivered and all the goals fully accomplished: the sector is nowadays acknowledged as a role model, in the country and abroad; a true case study of the success of a traditional activity that kept modern and even avant-garde, validated by ATP’s membership on the most important representative organizations, both European and worldwide.

Even though we face difficulties in attracting labour, something that is transversal to all industries in Portugal, it is with great satisfaction that I see new companies being led by well-prepared young people with broad horizons. The arrival of new generations to the leadership of traditional companies, with decades of existence, ensures their continuity. The return en masse of students to the textile engineering and fashion design degrees is another encouraging signal. This means the future is being prepared and it is underway.

In conclusion, one must say that, despite every effort, it is yet to come the day when the long-awaited dream of creating a single representative association for the sector, as it was consecrated in this mandate’s programme as well as in the previous ones. However, I am certain that the mandate that follows and those after will never stop pursuing, persistently and tenaciously, until we reach it, for we know only united, thinking strategically and speaking as a single voice, can we amplify the sector’s influence, recognition and results.

It’s with this message of accomplished duty, in the passing of testimony, that I encourage all those that will undertake the following mandate, wishing them all the best for the challenges they will face, and that I am confident will surpass most successfully.