Good sustainable causes deserve to be highlighted so that they can be multiplied. With this concept, the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) awarded the female leaders who stood out the most in 2018, as indicated by its member companies, and also had the participation of a popular jury. The second edition of the Women's Leadership Award, inspired by the Leading Woman Awards, of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), recognizes female leaders engaged in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The award ceremony took place at the 2018 Sustainable Congress, this Tuesday, 11, sponsored by Santander, Itau, Braskem, Shell, Philip Morris, iCS It is Arapyaú Institute, in addition to support from Go Carbon Neutral, Nespresso It is Europe Filters.
For this edition, CEBDS established three categories: Associated companies, which will choose three active leaders in companies linked to the Council; New Leaders Initiative, which will recognize an initiative aimed at promoting gender equality; and Popular Vote, which will award a woman nominated and chosen by the public.
One of the winners in the Associated Companies category, Solange Ribeiro She is the Deputy CEO of Neoenergia and is engaged in social causes. In 2017, she was one of the mentors of the project “The Leaders of Tomorrow”, which selected ten university students to participate in mentoring sessions with successful executives.
“Bringing up the debate on diversity within organizations, naturally and reinforced by example, encourages me to move forward. That is why it has been rewarding to participate in projects that help the career development of a new generation of women who stand out in the job market,” believes Solange.
The category also recognized the work of the Corporate Environmental Manager at Cervejaria Ambev, Beatriz Oliveira, and the Head Siemens Environmental Protection, Health and Safety, Roberta Carneiro.
At Siemens, Roberta Carneiro reduced the accident rate by 90% and greenhouse gas emissions by 38% in her last five years as manager. At the company, Roberta also stands out for the development of her team and the people who work in the organization. The energy she spends on developing the careers of her subordinates, monitoring their personal and professional goals and investing time and resources in this regard are noticed by everyone.
“I am very proud to receive this award, which is the result of the work and dedication of a brilliant team, with whom I have the privilege of learning new things every day. I hope to increasingly contribute to Siemens being recognized for its collaborative DNA, focused on the personal and professional development of each employee in the company,” says Roberta.
One of the main agents in structuring the environmental area at Cervejaria Ambev, Beatriz Oliveira helped transform the brewery into a world reference in water management and, over the last 15 years, improve its water efficiency by 45%. Reaching this level of maturity was only possible with the implementation of eco-efficiency projects, which justifies the candidate's contribution to SDG 6.
“Working in line with the Sustainable Development Goals is a commitment to leaving a sustainable legacy for future generations. Cervejaria Ambev dreams of uniting people for a better world, and caring for the environment and preserving natural resources is essential to achieving this goal.”
In the category New Leaders Initiatives, the big winner was the Diversity and Total Inclusion project, by Schneider Electric Brazil, which, among other topics, works strongly on gender equality. Through the program, the company managed, in 2017, to reach the quota of 46% for hiring women (the target was 40%) and, in July 2018, eliminated the salary gap between men and women in similar positions.
“For Schneider Electric, the Diversity and Inclusion pillar is part of the strategy for the sustainable development of the company and society. We are all different – gender, ethnicity, culture, generation, PWD and LGBTI+, among other groups. Above all, we respect differences, and innovate thanks to them”, says Maristella Iannuzzi, Global Director Digital Customer Experience and Diversity at Schneider Electric for South America.
The candidate chosen by Popular Vote, among the 18 candidates received, was the president of the Urban Cleaning Service of the Federal District, Heliana Kátia Tavares Campos. Helliana was the creator of the National Forum on Waste and Citizenship and the campaign “Children in the Trash Never Again”. It was also under her management that the Federal District closed the largest landfill in Latin America.
“It is an indescribable feeling to have managed to close the second largest landfill in the world, to permanently remove adults and children from such a degrading situation and to hire recyclable material collectors as public service providers with decent pay and working conditions in the Federal Capital.”
According to the World Economic Forum, men and women will only have equal pay and representation in the job market in 2234. The “Global Gender Gap Report 2017” also highlights that, in many of the countries surveyed, the main reason for such economic disparity is pure discrimination. Women occupy the same position as men and earn less for performing the same task.
“The World Economic Forum study analyzed, in addition to the pay gap between men and women, that men’s income is increasing faster. While the annual income of a woman in 2017 was 12 thousand dollars, the average for men was 21 thousand dollars. This data alone justifies the award aimed at recognizing the work of women, who are so often invisible in their workplaces,” analyzes the president of CEBDS, Marina Grossi.
The topic is also one of the 10 proposals prepared by CEBDS, which are being submitted to presidential candidates as part of the CEBDS Agenda for a Sustainable Country, prepared by the CEOs of associated companies. Proposal number 10 of the Agenda proposes that the government provide visibility to quantitative data on positions, education and remuneration of civil servants on the Transparency Portal to promote hierarchical and salary equality based on gender and race.
The inclusion of this segment of the population in the economy and politics has the potential to generate significant gains for the public and private sectors. Considering the gender issue alone, if women had similar roles to men in the labor market, we would see an increase of at least US$1.4 trillion in global GDP.
** Find out more about the winners in each category below.
ASSOCIATED COMPANIES CATEGORY
Solange Ribeiro, Deputy CEO of Neoenergia
Deputy CEO of Neoenergia From 2012 to 2017, she was CEO of the company, which she joined in 2004 as Executive Director of Regulation and Environment. She is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the National System Operator – ONS. She is a member of the Economic and Social Development Council – CDES, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Association of Basic Industries – ABDIB. She is a member of the National Steering Committee of the Juntos Project. With 34 years of experience, she has built a rising career in the Brazilian electricity sector, having held senior leadership positions in large companies such as Chesf and Eletropaulo. She worked as a consultant at the National Economic Research Associates in Washington, DC. She has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Pernambuco and a Master's degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. She was a visiting researcher at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, in London.
Beatriz Oliveira, Corporate Environment Manager at Ambev
She has extensive experience in the company before it was created as it is known today: she began working at Brahma as an engineer in 1991. Beatriz actively participated in the structuring of the environmental area and the advancement of more sustainable processes at both Brahma and the current Ambev Brewery, as well as in the expansion of the company's activities in sustainability projects. She was one of the main contributors to the replication of the Brazilian company's environmental management system at AB Inbev, the global group of which Ambev Brewery is a part. She has a degree in Chemical Engineering from UFRJ with a specialization in Environmental Engineering from UERJ. She has an MBA in Business Management from Business School São Paulo.
Roberta Carneiro, Head of Environmental Protection, Health and Safety at Siemens
Chemical engineer with postgraduate degrees in occupational safety engineering, environmental engineering and an MBA in business management. 20 years of experience in multinational companies from different sectors; consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, agribusiness and energy in the areas of occupational hygiene, occupational safety, health, environment, social responsibility and management systems (OHSAS 18000, ISO 14000 and ISO 9000). She served as a member of the Municipal Environmental Council (Comam) of São José dos Campos representing the industries of the region and as a counselor of the Environmental Commission and Responsible Care Commission of ABIQUIM. She participated in the FGV's Companies for the Climate program with a focus on the management and control of greenhouse gas emissions. She was a volunteer for the NGO Criança
She is confident in her work focused on training educators for schools in São José dos Campos. She has developed several projects with the community focused on environmental education, creating the children's environmental brigade that annually involves dozens of young people in environmental awareness and preservation activities, in addition to projects for the Revitalization of Urban Springs.
CATEGORY INITIATIVE NEW LEADERS
“Diversity and Total Inclusion”, by Schneider Electric Brazil
The project covers a broad spectrum of characteristics: LGBTI, Gender, PWD, Generation, Race and Culture. Highlighting SDG5 (gender equity), the program's strategy was built to harmonize the gender balance seeking equal pay, with the goal of having pay equity programs in 95% of the countries where the company operates by 2020. In addition, a minimum quota of 42% was created for hiring women and the presence of at least one female candidate on the short list for all positions. The program also dedicated special attention to the training of leaders - the goal is to reach 30% of women in leadership positions with an extensive “reverse mentoring” program contributing to the creation of a new generation of leaders. The process of engaging the entire organization was also promoted through the creation of diversity committees, with recurring interactions at internal and external events and broad discussions on the topic, raising the level of awareness and engagement.
POPULAR VOTE CATEGORY
Heliana Katia Tavares Campos, President of the Urban Cleaning Service of the Federal District. Civil engineer with a specialization in Sanitary and Environmental Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Brasília (UnB). She was Secretary of Partnerships for the Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger, as well as Project Officer for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and creator of the National Forum on Waste and Citizenship and the campaign “Children in the Waste Never Again”. It was under her management that the Federal District closed the largest landfill in Latin America.
