Richemont, the luxury group behind brands like Cartier, Montblanc, and Van Cleef & Arpels, has inaugurated its first international technology hub — R:Tech — in Lisbon, reinforcing the city's reputation as the “Silicon Valley of Europe.” The hub, located in Moscavide near Parque das Nações, spans 3,200 m² and holds LEED Platinum certification for sustainability.
“We aim to build and support a wide range of projects — from tech infrastructure and business applications to AI-driven innovations,” said Richemont CTO Eduardo Grilo, adding that Portugal’s strong academic ecosystem will be crucial to the hub’s success. “The country has fantastic universities with whom we hope to build partnerships.”
So far, 100 professionals have been hired — 80% of whom are Portuguese — with plans to grow the team to 400 in the next two years. The R:Tech hub will host engineers, software developers, architects, and cybersecurity experts, focusing heavily on artificial intelligence to fuel Richemont’s digital transformation.
Notably, the group has already created an internal AI department and introduced “Agent 42,” an AI-powered chatbot supporting its 45,000 employees. Richemont emphasizes ethical AI usage and internal career growth, with over 40% of new roles filled by internal candidates. The company was also among the first to achieve global equal pay certification.
“This is not just about hiring for now — it’s about building for the future,” Grilo emphasized, as Lisbon positions itself as a global tech innovation hub.
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