Women’s Month

In the month of International Women’s Day, my recommendation to everyone is: invest in your knowledge!

In the month in which we celebrate International Women’s Day, I would like to share a brief self-reflection on my life and career.
More than thirty years ago, recently graduated from engineering school in Brazil, I started my professional life as a trainee for an insurance company in São Paulo. I had very little work experience, but held many dreams and the confidence that, with dedication and ethical work, I could accomplish many things.

I chose my professional path intuitively from the alternatives that I had then, but the variety and complexity of the subjects and opportunities that come into my daily life simply fascinated me! During these years, I worked in several areas related to insurance, including Underwriting, Brokerage, Project Finance and Risk Management; experiences that afforded me with great challenges and learning experiences.

I currently work in the risk and insurance sector of Horiens, serving Braskem, a large international client in the petrochemical sector. I have lived in the United States for fourteen (14) years. This is not my first international experience, but certainly, the most lasting. Taking a leap of faith to embrace a path that was then unknown, opened countless doors for me; dedication to work and learning became constants at every stage of my journey.

When I started my career, there were few women in leading management positions and today I realize that I had admirable inspiring examples in many of my female colleagues with whom I worked, exchanged, and shared experiences. Undoubtedly, their example helped in some way to build my own trajectory. To this day, I remember many of them with deep gratitude, as their struggles resonated with me and will continue to reverberate in me as it only reinforces my belief that women, working in cooperation, are invincible!

The paths are obviously many. Companies, leaders, women, men; we all need to remain open to exploring these paths, seeking gender equity balance within the labor market. I speak of equity, believing that we should not seek equality; each human being is unique, but should be provided with equivalent development opportunities to achieve success in their careers.

I am convinced that we are making headway in this regard, and, above all, that the passion for what we do always takes us forward – it is worth remembering that this is true for anyone, regardless of gender identity.