BOOK: The War Lords



Professor Jorge Sá (PhD Columbia University; MBA Drucker University; Jean Monnet Chair; Peter Drucker speaker) is an international speaker and author, having published several books on business and economics topics, namely the book launched by the international publisher Kogan Page:

“The War Lords – Measuring strategy and tactics for competitive advantage in business”

Thucydides (460-400 B.C.) stated that peace was nothing more than a brief armistice in a permanent state of war. In business, however, there are no armistices: the war is continuous.

Man has tried for centuries to define the principles which, when followed, ensure success and victory in war. The Romans believed “luck favours the bold”, whilst for Wellington defence was the “means by which the war gods allowed men to multiply in number”. For Napoleon “God protects the large battalions”, but Alexander the Great proved the opposite when one after another in Issus and Gaugamela he defeated the Persian armies, that greatly outnumbered his troops.

But which side are the war gods on? History has shown that the war gods are not on the side of the bold, nor the cautious, nor the large battalions, nor the most mobile armies, but on the side of those who follow certain principles of strategy, which have remained constant throughout time. These strategies are as relevant to modern business as they were to ancient warfare.

This book used the analogy of war to demonstrate the importance of strategy for the contemporary war in business. It takes the reader through thousands of years of experience in strategy and extracts the timeless concepts of warfare and applies them to current corporate strategy. It takes an inspiring and original approach to strategy planning, providing detailed guidance for management on how to achieve a competitive advantage (cover, index and back cover below).


1. Jorge Sá is an expert on Peter Drucker and Philip Kotler, founders of modern management and modern marketing, respectively, with whom he studied and who offered letters of recommendation for his books and endorsements for his work, having lectured at the four Lisbon universities: Nova School of Business and Economics; Catholic University; Lisbon State university; and AESE associated with IESE at Barcelona.

2. Has a master’s degree from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management in California and a doctorate(PhD) in Business Administration, from Columbia University, in New York, where he was research, teaching assistant, and graduated with honors (always Dean’s list, Beta Gamma Sigma). Also holds two undergraduate degrees (in business administration and economics) and a graduate degree in Macroeconomics.

3. Was awarded the Jean Monnet Chair by the Jean Monnet Foundation in Brussels, and his books translated into twelve languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), Russian, Ukrainian, German, Lithuanian, Thai, Korean, Norwegian and Iranian, received endorsements, among others, from Peter F. Drucker, Cecily Drucker, Al Ries (author of the bestsellers Marketing Warfare and Positioning), Don Hambrick (Professor at Columbia University and The Pennsylvania State University), Karl Moore (Professor at Oxford and McGill University), Peter Starbuck (President of the London Drucker Society) and Philip Kotler.

4. Besides over thirty articles published in blind refereed reviews and journals of economics, business administration and medicine, he has addressed conferences and given seminars at several institutions including TED USA (https://youtu.be/SOkjPVi1Fts), London Business School, Drucker University, IESE, Glasgow Business School, ESSEC (France), ESSAM (European Consortium of Business Schools), Manchester Business School, George Washington University, Oxford, etc. Has also addressed conferences and presented articles in academic and non-academic meetings, such as Academy of Management, Western Economic Association, Peter Drucker Society of Europe, at the European Commission, etc.

5. Has worked as private consultant, non-executive director or taught in the executive programs of multinational companies such as: Coca-Cola, SHELL, Unisys, IBM, Price Waterhouse, KPMG, Glaxo, British Petroleum – BP, Dun & Bradstreet, Deloitte & Touche, Makro (Metro group), Systéme U, I.F.A, Intermarché, Mini Prix Bonjours, Accenture, Watson Wyatt, Cap Gemini, Cesce, Scottish & Newcastle, Sara Lee, Total, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Logica, Indra, Grandvision, Jafep, Euler Hermes, Cosec, Pestana Group Hotels, Tivoli Hotels & Resorts, Millennium Bank, Julius Baer, SGG, Henkel, Abencys, Broadbill, Volkswagen Group, McDonald’s, MiTek, United Steel Products, Base Group, UnitedHealth group, Inapa, Vodafone, IDC, Merck, BPI Bank, Milestone, Fijowave, Foxpak, ND Sports, LLR-G5, Horan, Prodieco, Dennison, Grid Finance, Bluemetrix, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, Microsoft, etc.

6. His hobbies are History (wrote several books on the lessons of military campaigns for management) and football (degree as a professional coach). He speaks and writes (by alphabetical order) English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. He lives between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro. And the office, Vasconcellos e Sá Associates (www.vasconcellosesa.com), provides support for research and other activities.


For more information on the books and conferences by Professor Jorge Sá please check our website at: www.vasconcellosesa.com or contact us at associates@vasconcellosesa.com .

– Peter Drucker expert

– Speaker on Peter Drucker

– Portuguese speaker for events

– Events in Portugal speakers

– Best Portuguese speakers