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Business Forum had over 100 registrations for 85 international business meetings involving 15 countries
Belo Horizonte, Brazil – The WEForum, a business meeting within the Women’s Business Alliance, WBA BRICS, drew more than 1,150 people to Minas Gerais’ capital for the two-day event, alongside a global audience via streaming. Representatives from at least 10 countries are in Belo Horizonte for a special program on Wednesday and Thursday aimed at stimulating connections, expanding partnerships, and discussing strategic topics such as economy, innovation, and female leadership in fostering sustainable businesses and accessing financial resources, combating gender inequality and violence in the business environment, and promoting safe and inclusive workplaces.
The Governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, opened the first day of WEForum in Belo Horizonte, the state capital, by paying tribute with a minute of silence to the Mayor of Belo Horizonte, Fuad Noman, who passed away on Wednesday, March 26.
Zema, also a businessman in the retail sector, has expanded his private network from four to 400 stores throughout his career. According to him, women are the majority in his business group. Zema stated, “Women are more ethical and have a long-term vision, less immediate than men. Female management is more careful and closer to people.” He further stated, “I could not miss this in the government of Minas Gerais. For the first time in history, we have a woman leading the Secretary of Environment, as well as, for the first time, a woman leading the Secretary of Livestock and, likewise, for the first time in history, a female commander leading the Fire Department. We made these appointments because we had selective processes, it was not to fulfill quotas. They are trained and have competence,” reiterated Governor Romeu Zema.
Equity in the Business Environment
The WEForum’s numbers highlight that there is space for female entrepreneurship, though opportunities are lacking. A total of 104 people registered for 85 business meetings featuring 15 countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile, among others. Most buyers are from the food and beverage industry, followed by cosmetics and clothing. Thirty Brazilian companies are part of this round of international negotiations, driving the economy.
According to WBA BRICS Global Chairperson, Mônica Monteiro, the major challenge for women is not slow economic growth, but the lack of opportunities and inclusion: “What explains Brazil having lower rates than other BRICS countries is not a less dynamic economy, but the lack of opportunities for events like this, called matchmakers. Once you give a woman the opportunity to export, she will never stop exporting. If the barrier was country economic growth measures, Japan would have the majority of women exporting. So, it’s not about that, but about showing that there are opportunities and how to take advantage of them,” said Mônica.
Ana Claudia Badra Cotait, president of the Women Entrepreneurs and Culture Council (CMEC) of the Brazilian Confederation of Trade Associations (CACB), said, “Beyond networking, we can convey the union of forces, not competitiveness. Women do not want to compete; we want to unite and show men this feminine sensitivity in business,” emphasized Ana Claudia.
Flávio Roscoe, president of the Federation of Industries of Minas Gerais, Brazil, (Fiemg), who also represented the president of the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), Ricardo Alban, highlighted that “to change the world we must start at home, in industry. In 2008, 24% of women occupied leadership positions; today, it’s 34%. It’s still not enough yet, but we have examples of many women leading organizations. I’m very proud to say that within FIEMG, 64% of leadership positions are occupied by women, out of the total 55% of our staff who are women,” said Flávio Roscoe.
WEForum Agenda
Four panels comprised the first day of discussions. Among the topics discussed were public policies, leadership, agriculture, trade, and industry. According to Izabel Itikawa, president of the Federation of Industries of the State of Roraima (FIER) and Pró-Amazônia, who participated in the agribusiness panel, “Women have always been present in agriculture, in operational roles, contributing in the field with their protagonism. With their ability to identify what is often overlooked by men, they are now starting to extend this prominence into management positions in agroindustry processes.”
The last session of the day featured Maira Rodrigues from ApexBrasil, Zhao Haiying, president of the Chinese chapter of BRICS WBA, and Anna Nesterova, president of the Russian chapter. They spoke about challenges and successful models in research and development for the internationalization of businesses, especially in companies led by women within the BRICS framework, to achieve higher productivity. This was a topic advocated by Haiying. The entry of new members was highlighted by Nesterova as positive for strengthening trade opportunities.
Startup Contest
Margarete Coelho, director of administration and finance at SEBRAE, presented the startup contest to the audience, one of WBA’s initiatives. The contest, which received 2,000 entries, features startups led by women in various categories. These categories include Health and Well-being, Agriculture and Food Security, Education and Skill Development, Energy, Infrastructure and Mobility, Trade, Service and Digital Transformation, as well as Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions. The competition was structured in stages to encompass startups at different points in their trajectories. It caters to new proposals, guiding early-stage startups focused on concept validation, startups that already received market acceptance, and, finally, scale-ups that experienced significant growth and seek international expansion. The award ceremony will be held in conjunction with the BRICS summit in July.
The WEForum is part of the agenda of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (BRICS WBA), which organizes this event in partnership with the Women Entrepreneurs and Culture Council (CMEC), São Paulo Commercial Association, Federaminas, CACB, FIEMG, FAEMG SENAR, IBREI, Sistema Fecomércio-MG, SEBRAE, National Confederation of Industry (CNI), Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), and the Federal Government; sponsored by BDMG, BID, CODEMGE, CNT, NATURA, SABIN, and SIGMA; and supported by Al Invest Verde, Beauty Fair, Brasilcham Sweden, CECIEX, European Union Council, DC News, Diário do Comércio, Federaminas Mulher, Global Gateway, Infra Women Brazil, Invest Minas, Lady Diamond, MNPT Mulheres de Negócios, PNUD, WICCI, Rede CIN, and the Government of Minas Gerais.
The program continues this Thursday, and the full schedule can be found at this Link.
Credits:
Text: Fernando Moreira
Photos by Vivi Martinelli / Play P
