Inspiring Women: Rachel Maia

She shared a chicken with 10 more people for Sunday lunch, but today is the CEO of Pandora jeweler in Brazil. We are talking about Rachel Maia, a 47-year-old woman from São Paulo who today is part of the 0.4% of black women who hold presidency positions in large companies in the country.

With a path marked by courage and empowerment, Rachel is a great inspiration to other women who aim to show their ability in environments still dominated by men.

Rachel's trajectory

Raised in Cidade Dutra, in the south of São Paulo, Rachel Maia was the youngest of seven children. With her father, mother, brothers, and two other cousins, she was used to sharing a chicken for weekend lunches. And there was still a rule: in a month, one ate the thigh of the bird; the next month I would eat the breast. After all, according to her mother, it was necessary to "go through the hard part first." It was from this that Rachel took a lesson: "There's always something good to expect."

This, however, does not mean that Rachel simply waited for her fate to fall from the sky: in fact, she was shown to have a good deal of courage from the beginning of her professional career.

In 1991, graduated in Accounting, Rachel worked at the 7-Eleven convenience network, which ended her activities in Brazil and ended her employment with the accountant. At the time, Rachel made a rather bold decision and told her father that instead of earmarking all termination on the family bills, which she helped pay early on, some of that money would be invested in herself.

Also read: 25 Things Women Need To Stop Saying to Each Other

Between Brazil and abroad

From this decision that went against what was expected of her, Rachel took two years of English and business classes in Vancouver, Canada. Having studied all her life in a public school, she says her knowledge of the English language boiled down to the verb? To be? ? and so she spent weeks saying just? oh, it's so beautiful!?.

When she returned to Brazil, did Rachel get the position of finance manager at the Novartis pharmaceutical industry, where she stayed for four years? one of them working in the United States.

In addition to her interest in the pharmaceutical and auto industries, Rachel was passionate about art, especially Pablo Picasso. So in 2000, while working in New York and learning that Paloma Picasso, daughter of the Spanish painter, would be in Brazil, she immediately returned to the country.

In the right place and in the right time

Paloma Picasso was in Brazilian lands to launch a jewelry collection with the luxurious Tiffany & Co., and on this occasion Rachel was approached by a headhunter of the company. The jewelry store was looking for a new chief financial officer whose requirements were to speak English and, of course, to have sound accounting skills.

As required by Global HR, should at least one woman participate in the selection process? although there were few women who met the job requirements at that time. Even with no interest in the jewelry market, Rachel decided to apply for the position.

Read also: 10 women entrepreneurs to inspire you

The result was that she held the position of chief financial officer of Tiffany & Co. in Brazil for eight years until she was approached by the Danish Pandora, who wanted to settle in the country. This time, the proposal was even more tempting: to occupy the position of chief executive officer, which is the presidency of the company.

At the time, Pandora had only two retail outlets in the country. Under Rachel Maia, this number has risen to 98 stores today.

Leadership and female empowerment

Often Rachel Maia is the only woman in a meeting? and needless to say, she is the only black woman. “Women are missing at decision tables, diversity is lacking. It's a change of culture, but does anyone have to start doing it? She said.

Precisely for this reason, Rachel is part of a WhatsApp group of top executives seeking to pave the way for more and more women to hold leadership positions in the country. In addition, she works at UN Women, participates in HeForShe (campaign launched in 2014 with a speech by actress Emma Watson) and is developing a project focusing on empowering young women from the periphery to work in retail.

What you can learn from Rachel Maia

The example of a humble black woman who came to the presidency of a company that made $ 800 million in 2016 is already a big lesson in women's ability, but we can still learn a lot more from Rachel Maia:

Read also: 8 things you can do to fight for gender equality right

1. Being a pioneer is not always glamorous

Making way does not mean that you will be applauded and rewarded.Do you know those guys from the front? I am part of this group, which struggles to break down barriers. And who is in the front is the most dusty, is not that glamorous ?, Maia told Donna Magazine. That is: recognition does not come for free.

2. It is worth investing in you

Rachel Maia had the courage to use her termination money to study abroad, and even though she is a senior executive, she never fails to invest in her education. That way, every year she spends at least a month to take leadership and business specialization courses.

3. Isn't there a perfect balance between motherhood and career? and alright

In addition to her plans to expand Pandora's business, Rachel has plans to expand her family: The executive has an 8-year-old daughter and is in line to adopt a boy. When asked how she can balance her mother's routine with that of her executive, she says that she can't. What we can do, however, is to dedicate ourselves to the role we are playing at that time.

There is no balance for those who decide to be an executive, but there are rewards. Whatever you decide to be, be in full form. When I am a mother, I am fully and when I am the president, is it also like that?

4. Empower yourself to inspire the women around you.

For Rachel, being empowered is a way to inspire other women to realize what we can do. The executive states that by being protagonist of her own story, she becomes his heroine and that of other people as well.

Read also: 10 things every woman should do before she reaches 30

Rachel is well aware that she occupies a place where very few people with the same conditions are often. Precisely because she knows that she represents diversity, she says she seeks to be well enough to continue inspiring other women to dream and act to reach the top.

Well then, so be it: let's look at Rachel Maia as a woman who had the boldness to put herself first at certain times and the courage to brave environments that might not seem that welcoming, either because she has a humble background, it's black or simply female.

Raising Awareness - Women in Trades (April 2024)