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Companies with at least 30% women in leadership positions are 12 times more likely to be among the top 20% in financial performance, according to a recent report by The Conference Board. Based on this data, LeverPro, a technology company specializing in financial automation solutions headquartered in Belo Horizonte, held the first W-CFO Brazil networking event in Minas Gerais.
W-CFO Brazil Promotes Dialogue on Female Leadership
W-CFO Brazil is an association of women executives in finance, celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2025. The Belo Horizonte event followed the association’s informal format, encouraging conversations and experience-sharing instead of formal lectures.
Participants included It-One CEO Andrezza Alencar, governance specialist Milton Nassau, and LeverPro founder and CEO Alysson Guimarães. Executive Andrea Rajão, CFO of ImunoBR and mentor at W-CFO Brazil, also participated and helped bring the event to Belo Horizonte. The suggested dress code featured lilac, symbolizing the fight against domestic violence, and purple, associated with innovation, creativity, and technology.
Challenges and Achievements of Women in Finance
The host of the meeting, LeverPro CFO Maria Helena Cotta Guimarães, emphasized the importance of W-CFO Brazil in boosting female participation in finance. “It remains a predominantly male segment. One of the biggest challenges is gaining space, proving technical competence, and overcoming subtle barriers, such as being underestimated in strategic meetings, limited access to influential networks, and the need to deliver superior results for equal recognition,” she said.
Maria Helena adds that women are overcoming obstacles and occupying roles once thought unattainable. “Today we see women in positions that were unimaginable in the past, thanks to the extraordinary strength and determination we bring,” she stated.
Gender Diversity as a Strategic Advantage
According to McKinsey & Company, executive teams with higher gender diversity are significantly more likely to outperform companies with 30% or fewer women. Likewise, organizations in the top quartile of ethnic diversity show an average financial advantage of 27% over others.
“Superior female performance is driven by unique competencies women bring to the corporate environment, such as empathy to understand diverse perspectives, genuine collaboration, adaptability to changing scenarios, systemic vision to connect areas and strategies, and sensitivity to spot opportunities often overlooked. These qualities strengthen organizational culture, enhance innovation capacity, and better prepare companies to face constantly evolving markets,” Maria Helena concludes.
About W-CFO Brazil
