VISION

Create an organization with international coverage that focuses on enhancing the individual and collective value of women in leadership positions that have a stake in Latin America, either because they are located in or do business with the region.

MISSION

Become a premier women’s business forum that provides executive or aspiring executive business women and leaders located in or doing business with Latin America with access to a strong global network of executive women with a stake in Latin America and educational and career development support for the purpose of the advancement of such women throughout their careers into leadership and executive positions across all industries and sectors.

ACTION

Share best practices aimed at closing the gender gap and promoting women in leadership roles across all industries and sectors.
Assist corporations and other organizations headquartered in Latin America with establishing career development programs for women
Help women in business acquire and enhance leadership skills through mentoring programs
Promote brand development among women doing business in or with Latin America
Grow a strong network of business leaders in or working with Latin America committed to supporting women in leadership roles in the region
Work with organizations who share similar values
Encourage and support the creation of WILL chapters in different Latin American countries

Silvia Fazio
Director-President, WILL Brazil NGO

Norton Rose Fulbright,
resident in the firm`s Sao Paulo and London offices,
where she leads the Brazil Desk.

Former Vice-Chair of the IBA International Conventions and Trade Agreements Committee. A member of the Business Council of Latin America ( CEAL ).

Recognized by Latinvex as one of the “Top 50 Female Lawyers in Latin America in 2013 and 2014.

Women Leaders - Evolution and Perspectives in the Brazilian Market.

Across the globe, prejudice continues to be highlighted as the main barrier to women's access to positions of president, vice president, councillor and other leadership positions in major international companies.

By Silvia Fazio *

Another cause cited by leading experts is the lack of stimulus on the part of women themselves to aspire to leadership positions - often due to sociocultural factors, which override capability and knowledge. Several international studies have shown that the term "ambitious" alongside the term "successful" is generally seen as a male virtue, while in many societies of the world, including highly developed societies, those terms have a negative social connotation when combined and applied to a woman.

On the other hand, more and more research studies worldwide are highlighting feminine differences and qualities as an immeasurable value to be added to positions of leadership, as much in the business environment as in the political realm. Several studies highlight certain fundamental characteristics for leadership positions as naturally feminine skills. These include emotional intelligence, empathy, resilience, commitment and ability to assess risk.

In this context, statistics show that the launch of an international organisation dedicated exclusively to causes involving women, could not be more timely. The proportion of women in leadership positions has increased considerably between 2012 and 2013, from 9% to 14 % worldwide. Interestingly, the proportion grew further in emerging countries like Brazil, which saw an increase from 3% to 14 % . China was the country with the biggest jump, from 25% to 51 % in just one year .

To broaden this discussion, W.I.L.L. (Women in Leadership in Latin America) arrives in Brazil. More than a forum for discussions between female leaders, W.I.L.L. arises with the ambitious goal of creating an organisation dedicated to causes involving women in Latin America. It is a pioneering initiative, given that so far the region, despite having grown substantially in economic and social terms in recent decades, still has few initiatives on the part of civil society, geared specifically towards women.

W.I.L.L.’s mission is to put the spotlight back on Latin America with the aim of encouraging the socioeconomic development of women in all levels of society and to act as a torch-bearer, promoting an environment of inclusion of women in the labour market and alerting Latin American companies to the importance of recognising female merit, where and when it is due.

The launch of W.I.L.L. in Brazil comes with the aim of supporting and promoting the career development of women, as well as encouraging companies based in Latin America to implement programmes related to both women and business, promoting the exchange of best practices between national and international organisations.

WILL BOARD DIRECTORS

Silvia Fazio
Director-President Will Brasil NGO

Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.

Leila C.B.Braga de Melo
Director

Executive Officer currently responsible for the Legal Department and Ombudsman Office at Itaú Unibanco, the largest bank in Latin America in terms of market capitalization. Fellow Membership in the International Women’s Forum (IWF)

Raquel Novais
Director

Partner of Machado Meyer Sendacz & Opice Law firm.

WILL COUNCIL MEMBERS

Amaila De la Torre
Council

Public and Governmental Affairs Manager at Bayer in Brazil. She has worked in a variety of roles at Bayer for over 15 years including her role as Controlling Business Partner of the pharmaceutical division at Bayer Headquarters in Leverkusen.

Ana Carolina de Salles Freire
Council

Director Legal and Compliance / Legal and Compliance Director at
AES Brazil

Arnaldo Tybiriça
Council

Vice President of AbrilPar Holding, the holding company of Grupo.Abril (Abril Education S.A., Abril Midia S.A., among others). He is a member of the Board of Directors of Abril Educação.S.A.

Camila Araujo
Council

Lead partner of the Center for Corporate Governance at Deloitte and Growth Committee

Carolina Lembo
Council

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Consultant Inter-American Development Bank,
Infrastructure and Energy Sector

Cinthia Ambrogi
Council

Graduated in Law & Social Sciences, post-graduated in Litigation & Arbitration and holds an International Business Executive MBA by University of São Paulo, with extension at the Universities of Cambridge (UK) and EMA Lyon (France).

Chieko Aoki
Council

Founder and president of Blue Tree Hotels - a member of the Business Council of Latin America ( CEAL ) , Business Leaders Group ( LIDE ) , Brazilian Academy of Marketing and the Brazilian Academy of events . And is Vice Chairman of the Board of the São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau for the biennium 2013-2015

Cristiane Amaral Teixeira
Council

Partner Advisory for EY Latin America

Flávia Coelho Warde
Council

Lawyer in São Paulo, specialist in Corporate,
M&A and Capital Markets Law.
Currently Officer of AbrilPar Holding, the holding company of Grupo Abril

Grácia Fragalá
Council

Assistente Social com MBA em Gestão de Pessoas e Negócios – FIA – Fundação Instituto de Administração. Vice Presidente do Conselho Superior de Responsabilidade Social – CONSOCIAL, Diretora Titular do Comitê de Responsabilidade Social, ambos da FIESP e Diretora Titular do Núcleo de Responsabilidade Social do CIESP.

Giselle Luna de Mello
Council

Regional Manager South America, Wells Fargo

Jandaraci Araujo
Council

Fundadora da BP9 Business Partners - Empresa que atua no segmento varejista através - E-commerce B2C ,Consultoria e Representações.

José Márcio Mendonça
Council

In Memorian

Kiki Moretti
Council

Kiki Moretti é fundadora e CEO do Grupo In Press, holding de agências de relações públicas e serviços especializados formada por In Press Porter Novelli, FleishmanHillard Brasil, Media Guide, In Press Oficina, Vbrand, Critical Mass e Davie Brown Entertainment (DBE).

Luciane Ribeiro
Council

Banco Alfa Executive Director. Board Member of the Principles for Responsible Investment ( PRI ), linked to the UN initiative to disseminate the principles of responsible investment to investors worldwide .

Maria Cristina Sampaulo
Council

Vice President Human Capital Management (HCM) Division, Goldman Sachs, Brasil

Neila Maria Barreto Leal
Council

Legal executive manager of the Bank of Brazil , Professor of Business Law and Master of Law in International Relations . member of the Legal Committee of FEBRABAN and Coordinator of the Legal Committee ABECS - Brazilian Association of Credit Card and Services .

Nereida Horta
Council

Conselheira da WILL - Women in Leadership in Latin America , advogada tributária e atualmente A&F Manager para a área financeira da Cargill Brasil.

Patricia Barbelli Diageo
Council

Patrícia Barbelli, General Counsel/Diretora Jurídica da Diageo PUB, possui mais de 20 anos de experiência na área jurídica e posições de liderança em multinacionais, tais como Diageo, Bayer, Whirlpool e PepsiCo.

Suzana Fagundes Ribeiro de Oliveira
Council

Regional General Counsel for Central and South Americas and Compliance Officer at ArcelorMittal Brasil

Teresa Vernaglia
Council

Atuou por mais de 25 anos em posições de liderança em empresas multinacionais na área de infraestrutura de telecomunicações e energia, vivenciando experiências do segmento ao longo de seu processo de universalização.

WILL NEW YORK CHAPTER EXECUTIVE BOARD

Elis Costa
CHAIR OF NEW YORK BOARD

Chief Financial Officer - Marsh & Mclennan North America

Alejandra Mejia, Director,
New York Executive Board

Public and Private Sector Support,
Latin America Teach for All

Fuensanta Diaz Cobacho
NY Executive Board Member

Vice President, Structured Finance, Intesa Sanpaolo, S.p.A

<strong> Gisela Porras</strong><br> NY Executive Board Member <br><br> Partner, Arias & Munoz (former Minister of Trade and Industry of Panama)

Gisela Porras
NY Executive Board Member

Partner, Arias & Munoz (former Minister of Trade and Industry of Panama)

John Moncure
NY Executive Board Member

Director, Latin America & Caribbean Co-Head Emerging Markets Financial Times

Maria Paula Carvajal
NY Executive Board Member

Senior Sovereign Credit Risk Analyst for
Latin America, Goldman Sachs

<strong> Monica Vidal </strong><br> NY Executive Board Member <br><br> Managing Director, ArcanoUSA

Monica Vidal
NY Executive Board Member

Managing Director, ArcanoUSA

<strong> Stephanie Junger-Moat </strong><br> NY Executive Board Member <br><br> Founder & President,Karcsi Global LLC

Stephanie Junger-Moat
NY Executive Board Member

Founder & President,Karcsi Global LLC

<strong> Clayton Steele </strong><br> NY Executive Board Member <br><br> Attorney specializing in cross-border transactions, admitted in New York State and Republic of Colombia

Clayton Steele
NY Executive Board Member

Attorney specializing in cross-border transactions, admitted in New York State and Republic of Colombia

ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS NEW YORK

Jackie Horowitz
New York Advisory Board

Project Executive, LPCiminelli

Luis A. Arizaga
New York Advisory Board

Head of Acquisitions of Macquarie Mexican Infrastructure Fund, Macquarie Mexico Infrastructure Management, S.A. de C.V.

María Fernanda Mejía
New York Advisory Board

President of Kellogg Latin America, Kellogg Company

Marta Elvira
New York Advisory Board

Professor of Strategic Management and Managing People in Organizations, IESE Business School

Reid Andrés
New York Advisory Board

Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Telefónica Internacional USA

Veronica Westberg
New York Advisory Board

Managing Director, Bank of New York Mellon

WILL LONDON COUNCIL MEMBERS

Andrea de Lima Maturano
Council

CEO Invest Bridge do Brasil

Cláudia Ferro
Council

Director of Argento Fine Products Ltd and Owner of AG FP Marketing. Committee Member of the Anglo-Brazilian Society, London, UKCommittee, Member of the British RedCross International Fundraising Committee, London, UK

Ieda Correia Gomes
Council

Director Energix Strategy

Jacqueline Campos
Council

Managing Director, Petrobras Europe.

Silvia Pavoni
Council

Journalist and Economics
Editor of The Banker magazine, Financial Times