Rui da Silva: Two strangers, a shared lunch – the origin of a great idea

Rui da Silva, Körber site: Porto, Portugal

When I joined Körber at Campus Porto, I was working for the former Business Area Digital, surrounded by colleagues from other Körber Business Areas.  

Campus Porto brought all this together under one roof. Different teams. Different topics. Same building.  

You would come to the office and see many people you didn’t know – not because they were new, but because they worked on something completely different. 

One day, while my team was away, colleagues I barely knew invited me to lunch. I said yes. 

That’s when I met Joana Domingues, a Junior Product Owner. 

Somewhere between “What do you do?” and “What are you working on?”, we realized something surprising: we worked at the same company – and still didn’t really know what the other was doing. 

Joana and I felt the same gap: 
There was no real space to share projects, roles, or ideas. No opportunity to connect beyond intranet pages and virtual chats. 

So we decided to create one. 

Not because it was in our job description. 
Not because anyone asked us. 
But because the need was obvious. 

We started small.  

We built a concept, defined the format, and gave it a name: Portugal Körber Expo Week.  

There was no budget — so we worked with what we had: MS Teams, email, and a lot of initiative. 

Before moving forward, we asked around to see if others felt the same need. They did. 

That gave us the confidence to approach Paula Gomes da Costa, General Manager of Campus Porto. 

She listened – and said yes. 

At that time, Campus Porto had around 150 people. Today, it has about 250.  

Joana and I organized the first edition with Paula’s full support. We planned the program, invited speakers, created the visuals, and moderated the sessions. It was very much a two-person show, and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.  

And it worked.

Attendance was strong. Feedback was clear: 
Reading about projects is one thing. Hearing the people behind them is something else. 

The event stayed. And it grew. 

Today it’s called Körber Expo Week. What began in Porto expanded beyond the campus — and last year included Campus Pécs. 

Joana has since moved to the Business Area Pharma. My role changed as well. 
But the platform remains. 

And when it’s introduced today, people still say the same thing: 
This started with two people who weren’t directly connected. 

For me, that’s what makes the story special. It shows what’s possible at Körber when you see a gap, take initiative, and are willing to go the extra mile.