On International Women's Day, the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) puts female representation in the corporate world on the table for discussion, since in Brazil, data from the IBGE indicate that women's salaries, in general, are 22.5% lower than men's and women are also a minority in management positions (37%), and on the executive committees of large companies (10%).
For the debate – the first in the Breaking Walls series in 2019 – CEBDS invited renowned executives on the topic: Teresa Vernaglia, CEO of BRK Ambiental, Flavia Vergili, HR director at WeWork in Latin America, and Nina Silva, founder of the Black Money Movement, present on the Forbes List of the Most Powerful Women of 2019 and elected one of the 100 most influential Afro-descendants under 40 in the world by MIPAD – Most Influential People of African Descent and UN.
One of the highlights of the debate will be the study that BRK Ambiental will present on the negative impact that the lack of basic sanitation has on the lives of women in particular. The study shows, for example, that one in four Brazilian women does not have adequate access to treated water and sewage collection and that universalizing these services would immediately lift 635,000 women out of poverty, the majority of whom are young and black.
In fact, the absence of black women in the top echelons of companies will also be addressed by the debaters and by Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS, who will mediate the debate.
Quebrando Muros is a CEBDS project that promotes discussions on social and environmental sustainability through themes that are transversal to all areas of a company. The event is open to the general public, with limited in-person spaces and live broadcast on CEBDS's Facebook page.
About the debaters
Marina Grossi
President of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) since 2010. Member of the steering committee of the Carbon Price Leadership Coalition (CPLC), an international organization that brings together leaders from all sectors to expand the use of carbon pricing policies globally. She was a negotiator for Brazil at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 1997 to 2001 and coordinator of the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change from 2001 to 2003. She participated in the negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol.
Nina Silva
Information Technology Executive with 15 years of experience in the segment in national and multinational companies. Founder of Black Money, a movement that aims for justice and racial equality in the workplace, in addition to promoting associations among black entrepreneurs. She is present in the Forbes List of the Most Powerful Women of 2019 and was elected one of the 100 most influential people of African descent under 40 years old in the world by MIPAD – Most Influential People of African Descent and UN.
Teresa Vernaglia
She worked for 30 years in the telecommunications and electrical energy sectors, and more recently in sanitation and reused water for industry. She is currently the president of BRK Ambiental. In a study conducted in partnership with Trata Brasil, BRK showed how the lack of basic sanitation reflects on gender inequality, since the impacts of the problem on family health fall mainly on women. The study also revealed that sewage treatment and universalization of services would lift 630,000 Brazilian women out of poverty.
Flavia Virgili
Human Resources Executive with experience in recruitment and selection consultancies and companies in the energy and financial markets. She currently leads the People department processes at WeWork in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. In Brazil since 2017, WeWork is the largest network of workspaces in the world. Present in more than 20 countries, the company develops several initiatives aimed at promoting and encouraging gender equality in the professional environment.
Breaking Walls: Company, Feminine noun
Date: March 8th
Opening hours: 10am to 12pm
Location: WeWork United Nations (United Nations Avenue, 14261)
Debaters: Nina Silva (Black Money Movement), Teresa Vernaglia (BRK Ambiental) and Flavia Vergili (WeWork)
Mediation: Marina Grossi (CEBDS president)
