Seven iL2L alumni from six nations have been invited to give the youth report on the findings at the 2013 annual Women’s Forum in Deauville, France. This year’s program’s theme is competition, cooperation, and creativity. Delegates will look at open digital innovation and the role women uniquely play in this arena. The program also examines the digital effect on Europe and what the future holds. The following Gen Y report comes to you from the Global Women's Forum on the Economy and Society.
Sonia Hess de Souza, CEO of Dudalina in Brazil, who was recognized by Forbes magazine as the sixth most powerful woman in Brazil, sat down with me for a brief interview at the Women's Forum on the Economy and Society on October 18th, and answered questions about being an entrepreneur, the importance of women in leadership, and her personal career.
Dudalina is a family company founded by Sonia’s parents in 1957, and today is one of the largest textile firms in Latin America. Ms. Hess comes from a family that had large problems and financial difficulties, but that learned positive lessons through adversity. In one particular case her father, had purchased an excess amount of textile; to make use of all the fabric, he decided to begin manufacturing shirts, and this spawned his successful family business. She has been President of Dudalina since 2003, and has been focused on developing the business and promoting Dudalina's brand for the international market.
***
[Beatriz Castro:] What do you consider the main assets of a successful entrepreneur?
[Sonia Hess de Souza:] First of all, I was not the entrepreneur. I was a poet, a dreamer, a worker—but not an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur in my family was my mother, who had 16 children. She had a phrase that she always said: "I’ll always demand yes". She is this woman, in search of yes.
Dream the dream, be ready, be creative. This is what the entrepreneur must do. Dream and be ready to take the path to get there.
[BC:] Do you think there is a big difference between the competitive characteristics for entrepreneurial women and men?
[SH:] Women have distinctive characteristics. They take care of the family, share, and are the caregivers. They have the traits associated with estrogen, rather than those of testosterone as in men. Women are the warriors; we are intuitive and can do many things at once. Being able to think of several things at once and perform them well, this is the feature that differentiates us from men. This is very interesting—women need higher self-esteem, and an ‘I can do!’ attitude to enter the world of business. Women don’t have the same networks as men, but they are very caring.
[BC:] What was the importance of the process of leaving your parents’ company in 1977, after 21 years, to build your professional career?
[SH:] It was very important for me. After 21 years with my family company, I went to work for other companies to gain more experience, and that worked out very well. In 1983, I wanted to return to work in São Paulo and I was invited to work in my parents’ company again. But I did not want to work in Santa Catarina, so I started running an office in São Paulo. Having worked at other companies helped me to have an outside perspective of the business and a more strategic vision. This is very important for the position I'm in now as CEO because I can look outside to inside and quickly see where I can improve. I am very practical in my professional and personal life, so this helps me a lot.
[BC:] You were named the 6th most important woman in Brazil by Forbes magazine. How did you receive this news, and, at some point in your career did you imagine this could happen?
[SH:] I think anyone who receives this type of award builds on it. It's good to recognize you can be an example. It’s very important to remind myself that from now on, I must be a good example to others.
[BC:] What are the biggest challenges facing women in business in Brazil? And now with the process of internationalization of the Dudalina brand, do you notice any difference in the challenges?
[SH:] I think Brazil is perhaps a most complex country, in its labor and political issues. I think Brazil needs a shock of change. We have a woman president, Dilma Rousseff, and she can leave the country much better for her grandson, just as I can leave the country better for my grandchildren. I do my best in what I can as a citizen, and as president she has even more power. There are profound changes that are difficult, and so it’s even more necessary to enable the markets to grow both in Brazil and externally, and being a woman or not does not matter. President Dilma Rousseff met 53 women last week in the Palace of the Plateau and opened a channel of communication through Luiza Helena Trajano where we'll take suggestions on what we think about education, among other topics. I will be present and willing to participate whenever there is an opportunity to improve and develop my country.
***
Sonia Hess de Souza attended the Women's Forum in 2013 as one of the judges of the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards, 2013. In the future, Sonia says, she longs to have Brazilian women in contention for the award, which they have not yet won. She jokes that her dream is to bring three candidates from Brazil for next year. She emphasized the importance of the Forum. It is a wonderful event for networking that helps all women to grow. Everyone benefits when exchanging ideas, especially when they meet both social entrepreneurs and private sector women.
Beatriz Castro, iLive2Lead Global Ambassador from Brazil, is 20 years old and comes from Guaratingueta in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Currently, she is taking Business Administration at Unisal College and is working as an import/export trainee for STollberg of Brazil, part of the Greek group, S&B Industrial Minerals.
iLive2Lead is a youth leadership-training program based in Washington, D.C., that conducts training in various nations in each region of the world. iL2L brings the most exceptional young leaders together for International Leadership Summits and works with them to develop social initiatives which they lead back in their home nations, thus creating global examples of social responsibility and a ripple effect of impact worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Dudlina.
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The Gen Y Reports from The Global Women's Forum: Interview with Sonia Hess de Souza, CEO of Dudalina
October 28, 2013
Seven iL2L alumni from six nations have been invited to give the youth report on the findings at the 2013 annual Women’s Forum in Deauville, France. This year’s program’s theme is competition, cooperation, and creativity. Delegates will look at open digital innovation and the role women uniquely play in this arena. The program also examines the digital effect on Europe and what the future holds. The following Gen Y report comes to you from the Global Women's Forum on the Economy and Society.
Sonia Hess de Souza, CEO of Dudalina in Brazil, who was recognized by Forbes magazine as the sixth most powerful woman in Brazil, sat down with me for a brief interview at the Women's Forum on the Economy and Society on October 18th, and answered questions about being an entrepreneur, the importance of women in leadership, and her personal career.
Dudalina is a family company founded by Sonia’s parents in 1957, and today is one of the largest textile firms in Latin America. Ms. Hess comes from a family that had large problems and financial difficulties, but that learned positive lessons through adversity. In one particular case her father, had purchased an excess amount of textile; to make use of all the fabric, he decided to begin manufacturing shirts, and this spawned his successful family business. She has been President of Dudalina since 2003, and has been focused on developing the business and promoting Dudalina's brand for the international market.
***
[Beatriz Castro:] What do you consider the main assets of a successful entrepreneur?
[Sonia Hess de Souza:] First of all, I was not the entrepreneur. I was a poet, a dreamer, a worker—but not an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur in my family was my mother, who had 16 children. She had a phrase that she always said: "I’ll always demand yes". She is this woman, in search of yes.
Dream the dream, be ready, be creative. This is what the entrepreneur must do. Dream and be ready to take the path to get there.
[BC:] Do you think there is a big difference between the competitive characteristics for entrepreneurial women and men?
[SH:] Women have distinctive characteristics. They take care of the family, share, and are the caregivers. They have the traits associated with estrogen, rather than those of testosterone as in men. Women are the warriors; we are intuitive and can do many things at once. Being able to think of several things at once and perform them well, this is the feature that differentiates us from men. This is very interesting—women need higher self-esteem, and an ‘I can do!’ attitude to enter the world of business. Women don’t have the same networks as men, but they are very caring.
[BC:] What was the importance of the process of leaving your parents’ company in 1977, after 21 years, to build your professional career?
[SH:] It was very important for me. After 21 years with my family company, I went to work for other companies to gain more experience, and that worked out very well. In 1983, I wanted to return to work in São Paulo and I was invited to work in my parents’ company again. But I did not want to work in Santa Catarina, so I started running an office in São Paulo. Having worked at other companies helped me to have an outside perspective of the business and a more strategic vision. This is very important for the position I'm in now as CEO because I can look outside to inside and quickly see where I can improve. I am very practical in my professional and personal life, so this helps me a lot.
[BC:] You were named the 6th most important woman in Brazil by Forbes magazine. How did you receive this news, and, at some point in your career did you imagine this could happen?
[SH:] I think anyone who receives this type of award builds on it. It's good to recognize you can be an example. It’s very important to remind myself that from now on, I must be a good example to others.
[BC:] What are the biggest challenges facing women in business in Brazil? And now with the process of internationalization of the Dudalina brand, do you notice any difference in the challenges?
[SH:] I think Brazil is perhaps a most complex country, in its labor and political issues. I think Brazil needs a shock of change. We have a woman president, Dilma Rousseff, and she can leave the country much better for her grandson, just as I can leave the country better for my grandchildren. I do my best in what I can as a citizen, and as president she has even more power. There are profound changes that are difficult, and so it’s even more necessary to enable the markets to grow both in Brazil and externally, and being a woman or not does not matter. President Dilma Rousseff met 53 women last week in the Palace of the Plateau and opened a channel of communication through Luiza Helena Trajano where we'll take suggestions on what we think about education, among other topics. I will be present and willing to participate whenever there is an opportunity to improve and develop my country.
***
Sonia Hess de Souza attended the Women's Forum in 2013 as one of the judges of the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards, 2013. In the future, Sonia says, she longs to have Brazilian women in contention for the award, which they have not yet won. She jokes that her dream is to bring three candidates from Brazil for next year. She emphasized the importance of the Forum. It is a wonderful event for networking that helps all women to grow. Everyone benefits when exchanging ideas, especially when they meet both social entrepreneurs and private sector women.
Beatriz Castro, iLive2Lead Global Ambassador from Brazil, is 20 years old and comes from Guaratingueta in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Currently, she is taking Business Administration at Unisal College and is working as an import/export trainee for STollberg of Brazil, part of the Greek group, S&B Industrial Minerals.
iLive2Lead is a youth leadership-training program based in Washington, D.C., that conducts training in various nations in each region of the world. iL2L brings the most exceptional young leaders together for International Leadership Summits and works with them to develop social initiatives which they lead back in their home nations, thus creating global examples of social responsibility and a ripple effect of impact worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Dudlina.
