Filipa Pinto Coelho graduated in Media and Cultural Communication from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in 1998, and later earned a postgraduate degree in Marketing and specialized in Luxury Marketing at the same university. Her professional career began as a communication manager, driven by her passion to help companies effectively reach their internal and external clients, and she did so in various companies in Porto and Lisbon.

After being invited to work as a marketing director in a Portuguese luxury group for about four years, she created her own consulting company as an independent marketing professional in the lifestyle segment. It was when she became pregnant with her third child, Manuel, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome at the 15th week of pregnancy, that her life and professional path changed completely.

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Her desire to change the way society perceives differences was the basis for the change in her professional path. She specialized in Management and Social Organizations at AESE Business School and used her know-how to create a social entrepreneurship project called CafécomVida, on behalf of the NGO she created along with a group of parents of children with intellectual disabilities - the VilacomVida Association - whose mission is to bring society closer to difference so that it is no longer an obstacle to their integration into our lives.

Today, she exclusively represents the mission and brand Café Joyeux - an innovative economic model in the social economy, which she imported from France - through the VilacomVida Association and the company Joyeux Portugal. They are preparing to open their third establishment in Portugal, so that more and more people can know and recognize the added value of difference.

Gerson Rodrigues was born in Cape Verde and became tetraplegic due to a diving accident in 2008. He worked as a cook, was a surfer, and practiced various sports. In 2014, he moved to Portugal to live with his mother and have more recovery.

He took courses in IT, digital marketing, business management and creation, and entrepreneurship, and opened his own business in the fast food and technology industries. He is a beneficiary of Associação Salvador, plays rugby, is an athlete of the Boccia Federation, and works in technical assistance at Ergométrica.

Mara Santos, Portuguese and Mozambican, is Head of Stakeholder Engagement (Europe/USA) and Global Partnerships, and Head of People & Culture at Girl MOVE Academy, with over 7 years of experience in strategic partnerships activation and management, working closely with the corporate sector in Portugal/Europe/USA and global partnerships with key worldwide players on the field of Social Innovation & Cooperation for Development.

She has leadership and partnership management experience in entities such as Associação Terra dos Sonhos, SPEAK, and IES-Social Business School. She graduated in Law from the University of Lisbon with a Post-Graduation in Development Studies, and has given a TEDx talk on leading back to your roots to find purpose in life.

Mayne Benedetto is a PhD candidate in Health Anthropology at the Institute of Social Sciences (ICS) at the University of Lisbon (ULisboa), with her research being funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), and she’s the President of the Consulting Board of Associação Portuguesa Voz do Autista (APVA).

Her doctoral thesis, a collaborative autoethnography, investigates the implications and limitations of gender designations taking into consideration the bodily experiences of autistic people, considering the relationship between social locus, emotion, experience, and performativity, due to the bias in the diagnostic criteria, and the political and social constructions around normality. Her work aims to contribute to a more substantial and realistic perspective of autism to provide better support and accommodations in health services for divergent individuals.

Rita Paulos is a Gender Equality Consultant and Executive Director of Casa Qui. She holds a Master's degree in Cultural Studies and Critical Theory from the University of Nottingham, with a dissertation on gender studies. Rita specializes in gender equality, including issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, with a particular focus on youth, community support, and education, with more than twenty years of experience.

She is the founder and former leader of ex aequo - association of young lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, intersex, and supporters. Rita has worked at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, and the National Federation of Youth Associations. She is a certified professional in Victim Support, Domestic Violence Prevention, Domestic Violence in Same-Sex Couples, and Trainer Training in Gender Equality.