Female Entrepreneurship Month: C-levels highlight the impacts women in leadership roles have on society

November is recognized as the World Female Entrepreneurship Month, highlighting the significant impact that women have on the corporate scene. The date, officially celebrated on the 19th, emerges as an opportunity for global recognition of female achievements. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 39% of managerial positions are occupied by women, a positive sign of progress towards gender equity in the workplace.

This increase in female representation in leadership positions not only defies stereotypes, but also brings significant financial results. McKinsey & Company studies show that companies with female leadership have 34% more profitability. To understand a little more of the impact that these statistics show, meet seven women who occupy leadership positions in companies from the most varied segments:

Ana Laura Motta is Chief Brand Strategy Officer at MOTIM. With over 8 years of experience in public relations and digital marketing, she has developed brand and content strategies for more than 150 companies and executives, focusing on startups, scale-ups and unicorns. Currently, she is responsible for leading the brand area and supervising the integrated communication and narrative initiatives of clients, strengthening the presence and reputation in the market. 

Asked what impact women in leadership positions have on the market and society as a whole, the executive believes that one of the main gains is the diversity of repertoire and worldview.“E I speak not only with a social bias, but rather as a competitive advantage. The combination of different views and experiences allows more creative solutions to complex problems and better decision making”, she points out.

Camila started her career still in traditional advertising, in Salvador (BA), but it was in Sao Paulo that she faced the challenge of expanding an activation agency to a market with greater potential, more complex and competitive. Immersed in the digital world since the Orkut era, she acquired experience and pioneering in digital platforms, technology and media. Currently, 10 years ahead of iD\TBWA, as CEO, Camila leads an agency with more than 240 talents, employing a business vision that integrates data, creativity and innovation to develop growth platforms for customers. With more than 20 years of experience, the professional of Communication and Marketing has built a solid journey through a.

According to the executive, the development of a culture capable of boosting women and generating advances in diversity is one of her main goals within the agency.“Being at the head of an agency makes much of my time dedicated to empowering talents and creating an environment in which people feel fulfilled and motivated in their careers. This is what reflects in the quality of deliveries and strong partnership with our customers.”, says Camila.

Graduated in Production Engineering and with a Postgraduate degree in Business Management from the Dom Cabral Foundation and MBA from INSEAD (France/Singapore), she has been working at Arco Education since 2014. She also has experience in artificial intelligence through her work at SkillLab, a Dutch company. Currently, Debora Montenegro is General Director at Geekie.

For the executive, the presence of women in leadership positions is not only an achievement, but a necessity to drive innovation and diversity in the market and society. “As General Director of Geekie, I have the responsibility and privilege to lead a team committed to educational solutions that transform education in Brazil.”

Fanny Moral is Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Eureka Coworking, one of the main global networks in the sector. With more than 10 years of experience in the market, COO leads the company's operations, assuming the complete management of the space, the development of new partnerships and the organization of networking events. In his previous trajectory, he held positions in the administrative and accounting areas, where he stood out for project management and process automation. He has worked in renowned institutions such as Itau BBA, Itau-Unibanco and Bike Tour SP. His experience unites deep technical knowledge and a skill of creating unique connections in the market.

“Understanding as a woman is an intense and nuanced journey. Despite being at the head of Eureka, a business I created from scratch with my husband, Daniel, I still face challenges that are often specific to us women. From small things, such as having to reaffirm my position in meetings and negotiations, to dealing with the pressure of balancing professional and family responsibilities. Sometimes I feel that there is an invisible expectation for me to “prove my value more steadily, which can be exhausting. But at the same time, these challenges drive me to go further, showing that female leadership brings a more force and a differentiated environment to build.

The trajectory of the executive in the financial and technological sector began in 2011 unexpectedly, when she entered the payment market as an intern. This first contact aroused a true passion for the area, motivating her to deepen her knowledge with a Digital Law course and to dive deeper into the universe of technology. It was in this context that she met Pinbank, where she seeks to foster gender equity and inclusion, encouraging a diverse team with different perspectives, who can find innovative solutions to old problems. In addition, she acts as a counselor in a social project that welcomes, cares and qualifies young people in a situation of vulnerability, which helps me to maintain a perspective of always being a sensitive to the reality.

“Women in leadership positions bring diverse and innovative perspectives, essential for a more inclusive and resilient business environment.In the financial market, this presence fosters creative and effective solutions, while in society, it inspires and opens paths for other women to also reach prominent positions, promoting gender equity and collective development”, says Fernanda.

In 2017, with only 24 years, Laila Martins founded edtech Saber in Network, exercising the position of CEO since then. And in just five years, led the company from scratch to the valuation of 50 million reais. Driven by innovation in reaching new students and valuing the academic community, Laila founded the startup with the purpose of disseminating education and enabling people to undertake in this process. Active in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, the executive operates since 2020 as a mentor in the programs of the Brazilian Association of Startups, SEBRAE and Innovative. In 202, she joined the Ventures to investimento. 

For the CEO, women in leadership positions promote a more inclusive and balanced organizational culture, inspiring future generations.“This representation helps to break down stereotypes and encourages girls to aim for prominent positions and achieve higher” flights, she comments. 

Graduated in marketing, the executive, who is since 2011 at Aurum, began her journey as User Experience Design and, over time, took over the Marketing area, until becoming a partner and participating in the acquisition of the company by the Vela group in 2019. In July 2022, became CEO of legaltech which is based in Florianopolis, with operations in several regions of Brazil. Over the last 12 years, she has been responsible for impacting more than 100 thousand lawyers with products and with the Aurum brand that has been growing in the market, following the constant expansion of the legaltech. 

“When a woman takes a leadership position, she opens a door for other women, showing that it is possible to get there. Her presence brings a unique and diverse perspective to management, which is reflected in the team, creating opportunities for more women and people of different profiles to occupy prominent positions. This not only makes the company more inclusive and equitable, but also makes it more innovative and enriched by the diversity of thoughts”, comments Marcela.