About Us
The project that gave rise to HUG was created in 2015 in the program Startup Pirates - ISCAC/ Coimbra Business School and was later born in Porto, in Startup School - UPTEC, as a startup called "Via Glocal" dedicated to the production and marketing of strategic advisory and mediation products for the development of a glocal service culture: global and local.
It arose following its founder's degree and master's and doctoral research - on languages and cultural mediation processes in the European Union, the United States and Portuguese, English and French-speaking countries - where she concluded that despite the world becoming increasingly globalized, people will always have relevant individual specificities to take into account when positioning themselves in the multinational market. Thus, the scope of work or target market is mainly international, but framed from a national perspective.
Combined with these studies, the extensive experience of its founder as a trainer and teacher (more than 25 years) shaped the project as an Information Agency about the global and local focused on people and companies that act or intend to act together with entities from different countries, whether to set up or acquire companies, develop partnerships, export, import, hire, and, for this reason, need informative and training support on the sociocultural side of business. In other words, those who wish to invest in obtaining technical knowledge about the human perspective of markets to improve their global economic performance and, at the same time, develop transversal behavioral skills that promote their interests and improve their environmental, social and governance sustainability ( ESGs). Namely through advice on glocal trends and alignment of cultural protocols customized to the service culture of the glocal market in which they intend to operate and through participation in environmental and social responsibility workshops, language skills training,and interpersonal and public communication.
In 2023, the company extended its strategic information to school age through a partnership with the association NECI.EU, also chairedi n Portugal by its founder, who realized, when working with young people from other countries, that there is still a lot to do in Portugal to prepare our young people to deal with a global and diverse world. This is how the new brand HUG - Human, Uplifting and Glocal Endeavor - appeared, in 2 aspects: HUG People – Center for Integral Study and HUG Companies - Information Agency.
The borders between borders
Digital borders revolutionize. People move, physically and virtually, around the world. The speed of data and information transfer allows a Portuguese person to imagine having breakfast with a Chilean woman on a street in Singapore. Everything seems possible. Physical borders exist even if they are smaller distances. Speed!
Opportunities that cannot be missed. Local aspects and peculiarities are still secrets that only reveal themselves in the daily lives of those who are there, wherever that may be. And we are aware: researching the world and organising its particularities to share knowledge with people who want to belong to our community.
People are the foundation of our business.
They are our essence.We HUG and we welcome everyone. Of all ages, places and ethnicities.
Human - Humanists
We cultivate empathy. We seek to understand each individual’s way of being.
And we share knowledge about people from different cultures, helping companies, looking to the future, to invest in innovative practices.
Uplifting – Enthusiasts
We nurture a passion for knowledge and multidisciplinarity. Our knowledge exists to be shared with people and people who form companies.
Glocal - Connectors
We are aware of global and regional transformations, and their impacts on people and companies. We seek to understand the cultures, which are the basis of our business, and create new ways of connecting between them.
Values
Well-being
We are not machines! No one can be productive if they are not physically and mentally healthy. There needs to be a balance between life and work.
Diversity
Value heritage and cultural identities. Promote respect and inclusion of differences, and harmony between them.
Empathy
Respect difference and understand it as the key to entering the world of the individual. Empathy is understanding your essence and making you feel part of the collective. Welcome and invite you to be part of something bigger.
Personal development
Form and train people with vision and values of global citizenship, eliminating any type of prejudice, and enhancing their individual skills. Better people for a better world.
Transparency
Defend transparent company management processes and policies, which guarantee respect for legal and constitutional rights and duties, and European and international agreements, and consideration for the fair interests of all interested parties.
Environmental responsibility
We live in times of environmental urgency. No business project can prosper, humanly and business-wise, if it neglects aspects of conscious consumption, decent living conditions and practices that minimize our impact on the environment.
Freedom
Contribute to a world without barriers and create international individuals. Provide them with free expression and develop skills that guarantee them autonomy in life. Having the freedom to be whatever you want, wherever you want.
Seeing to want