Francisca Oliveira, at 27 years old, became the first woman to join the board of Riopele, a textile company founded by her great-grandfather and about to celebrate a century of existence. The young woman returned to the city of Famalicão after having studied and worked in the world capitals of fashion.
Graduated in London and Paris, Francisca Oliveira also completed an internship at Inditex, the Spanish group that owns Zara, which allowed her to gain international experience in the textile sector. This academic and professional background abroad contrasts with her current position in the family business.
The administrator of Riopele revealed an impressive particularity of her work: she can identify customer orders just by the sound of the looms in the factory. This ability demonstrates the deep knowledge she developed about the family business from a young age.
Francisca Oliveira was invited to participate as the central figure of the podcast "League of Innovators," where she shares her experience of returning to Portugal and the transition from an international career to leading a traditional company in the Portuguese textile sector.
