The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce announced Luiza Helena Trajano as the Brazilian recipient of the 2020 Person of the Year Awards.
For the past 50 years, the Chamber has honored as “Person of the Year” two prominent leaders, one Brazilian and one American, who have been particularly instrumental in forging closer ties and enhancing the relationship between Brazil and the United States. The American honoree will be announced soon.
Who is Luiza Helena Trajano
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Luiza Helena Trajano is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Magazine Luiza. With a degree in Law from the University of Franca, she is responsible for introducing the purchase option of credit and online transactions in Brazil, and for the leap in innovation and growth that placed Magazine Luiza among the largest retailers in Brazil.
Ms. Trajano serves as a counselor at 12 different entities, including UNICEF and the Consultative Group of the UN Population Fund in Brazil. In 2018, she was Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum on Latin America.
Since 2013, Ms. Trajano has led the Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, which today has tens of thousands of participants in Brazil and abroad, with a strong presence in New York. The group meets every month to discuss and propose actions related to education, entrepreneurship, social projects, innovation, diversity, and gender equality in the workplace.
Ms. Trajano’s nomination was widely proposed by Chamber members and unanimously approved by our Board of Directors. The Board is comprised of a broad spectrum of leading Brazilian and U.S. firms that are active in both countries.
The Board’s selection of Ms. Trajano recognizes her courage, perseverance, and dedication, transforming a family-owned retail company into one of the largest establishments in the industry, using technologies alongside the largest international corporations and fostering the advancement of e-commerce in Brazil. Her entrepreneurial spirit, social projects, dedication to education, and commitment to diversity have led to the highest ethical and moral standards in the business environment and have incited great social impact, factors that coincide with the values promoted by the Chamber.
Luiza Helena Trajano will be honored at the 2020 Person of the Year Awards Gala Dinner, to take place at the Marriott Marquis in New York, on Thursday, May 14th. Over 1,000 leaders from the international business, financial, and diplomatic communities convene in New York City each year at this traditional gala to pay tribute to the honorees.