Luiza Trajano
Luiza Helena Trajano Inácio Rodrigues | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1948 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, business executive |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Known for | Chairperson of Magazine Luiza; advocacy for women's empowerment and diversity |
Luiza Helena Trajano Inácio Rodrigues (born 9 October 1948) is a prominent Brazilian entrepreneur who serves as the chairperson of the retail giant Magazine Luiza and its affiliated enterprises. In July 2020, she was acknowledged by Forbes as the wealthiest woman in Brazil. Additionally, Trajano contributes her expertise as an advisor to organizations including UNICEF Brazil and UNFPA Brazil.
In 2021, she was honored as one of the 100 most influential individuals worldwide by TIME magazine. Renowned for her advocacy of feminist principles, Trajano has played a pivotal role in advancing both business and social reforms within Brazil.
Life
Born in Franca, São Paulo, Trajano earned her law degree from Faculdade de Direito de Franca in 1972. Her family owned a retail outlet operating under the Magazine Luiza brand. She accumulated extensive experience in areas such as sales, procurement, and management before ascending to the role of director-superintendent in 1991. Under her stewardship, Magazine Luiza grew to encompass more than 1,000 stores across 18 Brazilian states, serving upwards of 18 million customers with a workforce of 27,000 employees, and successfully transitioned into a publicly listed corporation.
During the 2018 presidential election, Trajano organized a question-and-answer session featuring several candidates; however, the eventual victor, Jair Bolsonaro, did not participate and later publicly criticized her following reports that he was excluded due to delayed confirmation.
Advocacy for women's empowerment
Trajano leads Grupo Mulheres do Brasil (Women of Brazil), an organization established in 2013 by 40 female entrepreneurs dedicated to advancing equal rights, employment opportunities, safety, health, and education. The group has since expanded to include over 48,000 women spanning 14 countries.
The tragic femicide of Denise Neves dos Anjos, a Magazine Luiza store manager, in 2017 spurred Trajano to strengthen initiatives combating domestic violence within her company—where women constitute half of the workforce—by creating resources such as a dedicated hotline, psychological support, legal assistance, relocation aid, and mandating that outsourced service providers employ at least 2% women survivors of abuse to promote economic independence. Trajano continues to stress the importance of achieving pay equity and maintaining zero tolerance for violence.
She advocates for gender quotas on corporate boards throughout Brazil, arguing that without such measures it could take up to a century to attain significant female representation. Trajano credits her aunt—the founder of Magazine Luiza—and her late mother as major influences on her commitment.
Perspectives and involvement in affirmative action
In September 2020, Magazine Luiza introduced a trainee program for 2021 exclusively targeting Black candidates, removing prerequisites such as English proficiency and previous work experience. Luiza Trajano described this initiative as "a crucial step toward strengthening our corporate diversity." The program encountered controversy including an official complaint accusing it of "racism" filed by a government deputy leader. Trajano responded by highlighting the ineffectiveness of color-blind policies and reaffirming the company's dedication to diversity despite facing legal opposition.
In 2019, she drew attention to racial disparities within corporate leadership circles in Brazil, noting the limited presence of Black women executives. She positioned the trainee program as an internal corporate strategy aimed at confronting systemic racism and sexism while acknowledging criticism but underscoring the necessity of challenging societal taboos.
Awards
The Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce honored Trajano as the 2020 Person of the Year.