{"id":94914,"date":"2025-07-15T19:54:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T22:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/murray.adv.br\/?p=94914"},"modified":"2025-07-15T19:54:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T22:54:42","slug":"leadership-gap-reflects-racial-inequality-in-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/murray.adv.br\/en\/leadership-gap-reflects-racial-inequality-in-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership gap reflects racial inequality in workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Experts call for structural changes as Black professionals remain underrepresented at the top<\/strong><\/em><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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07\/15\/2025\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Although Black Brazilians represent 55.5% of the population, according to the official statistics agency IBGE, they hold just 9.7% of top leadership roles\u2014defined as executive management and above. The data comes from a study carried out between 2022 and 2025 by Diversitera, a consulting firm that analyzed approximately 70 companies across various sectors and sizes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to Jaime Almeida, vice president of the FESA Group\u2014an HR solutions ecosystem\u2014and director of diversity and inclusion at the S\u00e3o Paulo chapter of the Brazilian Association for Human Resources (ABRH-SP), this underrepresentation has historical roots.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been long since the so-called \u2018pseudo liberation\u2019 of Black people after slavery, so they still haven\u2019t been able to access spaces like universities and, as a consequence, are underrepresented in leadership roles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He added that only 0.4% of executive board positions are held by Black women, according to the Ethos Institute. \u201cThat\u2019s even more disgraceful when you consider they are the largest demographic group in the country. It\u2019s impossible to see that as normal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. Almeida also cited a 2018 McKinsey report: \u201cCompanies with gender equity are about 21% more profitable than the sector average. Those with racial and ethnic equity show roughly 33% higher profitability,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To change this scenario, Mr. Almeida recommends that companies begin by conducting a demographic survey of their workforce. Once they understand their internal makeup, he advised sharing this data with senior leadership. \u201cBy developing training programs for executives, we can encourage real reflection and help the company define where it wants to go\u2014over the next year, five years, ten years. How it wants to transform itself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In his view, racism often begins with the discomfort some people feel when they see professionals who don\u2019t fit the traditional mold of white leadership in positions of power. \u201cA Black person who is assertive is perceived as aggressive; an assertive woman is seen as unbalanced. A white man is viewed as firm, a strong leader,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He also pointed out that unconscious bias is the root of all prejudice\u2014and challenges anyone to mentally list five Black CEOs widely regarded as good leaders. \u201cMost people won\u2019t even be able to start that list,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. Almeida shared his personal experience to illustrate the issue: \u201cI spent 32 years in the pharmaceutical industry, 26 of them in leadership positions, and the last 20 as a director. During those 20 years, I was the only Black director at the company. In all my professional life, I rarely saw another Black person in the same room. Likewise, in 24 years teaching in higher education, I\u2019ve never had a Black colleague in the faculty lounge.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To address the problem, Marcus Kerekes, founder and CEO of Diversitera, said that diversity should not be treated as a one-off campaign but as an ongoing, structured effort. \u201cFrom a social standpoint, inclusion in the workforce generates income and brings people into the economy. The Black population is the largest demographic in Brazil, yet for years it has been relegated to niche markets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. Kerekes also noted that the closer a company is to the end consumer, the more likely it is to have diverse leadership. \u201cWe hypothesize that there is pressure from more discerning and conscious consumers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Luciene Malta, senior institutional relations manager at MOVER (Movement for Racial Equity), believes promoting Black professionals to executive roles requires clear commitments, structured career and succession plans, and sustained action. \u201cAll goals require investment to be achieved. The same must apply to diversity, equity, and inclusion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For Ms. Malta, it\u2019s not just about developing Black professionals\u2014it\u2019s also essential to prepare the workplace to welcome them. \u201cInvesting in a cultural shift and educating leadership is fundamental,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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(Under the supervision of Fernanda Gon\u00e7alves, assistant editor for the Careers desk)<\/p>\n

*By\u00a0Rafaela Zampolli*, Valor\u00a0\u2014 S\u00e3o Paulo<\/p>\n

Source: Valor International<\/p>\n

https:\/\/valorinternational.globo.com\/<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experts call for structural changes as Black professionals remain underrepresented at the top     07\/15\/2025\u00a0 Although Black Brazilians represent 55.5% of the population, according to the official statistics agency IBGE, they hold just 9.7% of top leadership roles\u2014defined as executive management and above. The data comes from a study carried out between 2022 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8106],"tags":[26252],"class_list":["post-94914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-murray-news","tag-racial-inequality-in-workplace"],"yoast_head":"\nLeadership gap reflects racial inequality in workplace - Murray Advogados<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/murray.adv.br\/en\/leadership-gap-reflects-racial-inequality-in-workplace\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leadership gap reflects racial inequality in workplace - Murray Advogados\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Experts call for structural changes as Black professionals remain underrepresented at the top     07\/15\/2025\u00a0 Although Black Brazilians represent 55.5% of the population, according to the official statistics agency IBGE, they hold just 9.7% of top leadership roles\u2014defined as executive management and above. 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