The winners of the 2019 edition of the CEBDS Female Leadership Award, in the Associated Companies category, were the executives Cristiane Lourenço, Manager of Sustainable Development and Partnerships in the value chain at Bayer Crop Science, Laura Cristina da Fonseca Porto, Director of Renewables at Neoenergia, and Teresa Vernaglia, president of BRK Ambiental. By popular vote, Glaucimar Peticov, executive director responsible for the areas of Human Resources, Marketing, Ombudsman and PMO at Banco Bradesco was the winner.
The Schneider Electric Women's Leadership Development project and Alcoa's Menina-Mulher project won the award in the New Leaders Initiative category. The names were announced during the closing ceremony of the 2019 CEBDS Seminar on the 5th in São Paulo.
Now in its third year, the award was conceived with the aim of promoting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5 in Brazil, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030. According to Marina Grossi, president of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), the initiative is an opportunity to recognize women leaders of companies that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs and people and projects that dedicate efforts to promoting gender equality.
“This is one of the great challenges of our society that must be taken on by everyone and the CEBDS contributes to encouraging everyone's engagement in this topic which, in addition to being a fundamental right, is the necessary basis for building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable”, highlighted Marina.
Working in different sectors of the economy, the winning leaders have in common the constant focus on the future of their organizations. For Cristiane Lourenço of Bayer Crop Science, the award was only possible thanks to the work done in partnership with her team and partners who believed it was possible to produce food while respecting the planet and people. "I hope it inspires women in Brazil who have been working to transform businesses, especially within the entire food production chain and in agriculture—areas where female leadership is increasingly gaining a voice," says Cristiane.
Within the infrastructure sector, sanitation has been the one that has advanced the least in Brazil in recent years. In 2018, it accounted for less than 10% of the country's investments. Therefore, according to Teresa Vernaglia of BRK Ambiental, raising awareness of the issue is a mission for her. "Last year, we studied the impacts of sanitation on the lives of Brazilian women. A study indicated that the lack of sanitation further harms women's lives and is a key factor in achieving gender equality. Raising awareness of the reality of Brazilian women is the first step toward promoting the necessary changes," she reinforces.
"The inclusion and empowerment of women in our society is a powerful tool because women are more engaged, sensitive, and better able to work with diversity," says Laura Cristina Porto of Neoenergia. "Only together will we be able to build a better, more equitable future for all," she adds.
Popular vote category
With extensive experience at Bradesco, Glaucimar Peticov is a key proponent of the bank's diversity and gender equity practices. She also pioneered the idea for the bank to adhere to the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
This year, CEBDS added a new category to reward social projects focused on empowering and training women. All registered initiatives that met the requirements of the call were presented to member companies, and five are being evaluated for adoption for a 12-month period.
The other categories remained: Associated companies, awarding three executives; New Leaders Initiative, recognizing projects from two companies that develop initiatives to train and develop new female leaders; and Popular Vote, honoring a female leader spontaneously nominated by the public, including representatives from the private sector, third sector or government.
Check out the winners, by category, of the 2019 CEBDS Female Leadership Award:
- Associated Companies Category:
Cristiane Lourenço, Manager of Sustainable Development and Value Chain Partnerships at Bayer Crop Science
Laura Cristina da Fonseca Porto, Director of Renewables at Neoenergia
Teresa Vernaglia, president of BRK Ambiental
- Popular Vote Category:
Glaucimar Peticov, executive director responsible for Human Resources, Marketing, Ombudsman and PMO at Bradesco
- New Leaders Initiative Category:
Alcoa Girl-Woman Action
Schneider Electric Women's Leadership Development Program
