São Paulo – The Halal do Brasil project kicked off B2Bs between Brazilian businesspeople and importers from Muslim-majority countries on Monday (5) in São Paulo, putting the female leadership in both regions on the spotlight. A roundtable consisting exclusively of women was held in the headquarters of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) to start the week’s program that will feature B2Bs in São Paulo and take the foreigners to visit Brazilian states.
In addition to the women’s inaugural discussion, the Halal do Brasil’s Buyers Project holds other actions to foster women’s participation in business. Latam Airlines made available free of charge tickets for Brazilian women leading small- and medium-sized enterprises from outside São Paulo state to travel for the B2Bs.
Latam Brazil sustainability and environment manager Lígia Sato opened the day by presenting the company’s sustainability strategy based on the United Nation’s SDG targets. “Knowing our importance as the region’s largest company, we take very seriously our responsibility relative to our role in encouraging and bring about the economic, social and environmental development of South America,” she said.
Besides talking about circular economy, a pillar of Latam’s sustainability strategy, Sato spoke about creating shared value, a pillar based on which the company carried 282 million vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic and 130 volunteers to act on the climate tragedy in southernmost state Rio Grande do Sul.
“But some concepts run through our entire strategy, and one of them is supporting female entrepreneurship through incentives like this action to bring women entrepreneurs to join this event, build business opportunities,” explained Sato. Encouraging female leadership in business is also a strategy of the ABCC – through its women’s committee WAHI – and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), which spearhead the Halal do Brasil project.
The Halal do Brasil project aims to boost Brazilian exports of value-added halal foods. Halal means fit for Muslim consumption. The project is a three-year project first launched in late 2022 that aims to train businesses, support them in obtaining the halal certification, and hold trade promotion actions like this Buyer Project.
Women’s debate
Besides Sato, this week’s inaugural debate – addressing topics as varied as business, target markets, and sustainability – featured BRF market intelligence executive manager Regiane Nobrega, and Neveen Baher, senior manager at Nexlene, a joint venture of Saudi Sabic. Baher participated online. Mediating was Alessandra Frisso, an ABCC board member and a WAHI member.
Frisso asked the participants to talk about the Brazilian and Muslim-majority markets and how their companies tackle sustainability. Nobrega mentioned the studies conducted by BRF on each market it operates in and said the halal markets offer many opportunities. “We have to fully understand each of them and try to deliver the best product possible according to each culture,” she said. Like the Halal Project, BRF strives to boost value-added exports.
Baher talked about the products supplied by her company, ranging from airplane materials to cars and cellphones, and its efforts towards making its solutions eco-friendlier. She also talked about Saudi Arabia and its changes in recent years, like the increasing number of women taking over executive posts. Baher said she’s proud that Sabic currently has a large percentage of female leaders.
Frisso mentioned how sustainability is now a question of longevity in business, stressing the point made by Sato that it should no longer be seen as a cost but rather as an investment. Frisso also spoke about how the WAHI Committee connects Arab and Brazilian women. “Our goal is to inspire Brazilian and Arab women to get closer and do business,” she said. According to her, the distance and cultural differences may make this difficult, but mutual acquaintance is the key. “Difficult means only something we don’t know. As we get to know it, we see opportunities,” she said.
Buyer Project
ABCC president Osmar Chohfi gave a warm welcome to Arabs and Brazilians on Monday, talking about the Halal do Brasil initiative. The Buyer Project held by Halal do Brasil will feature B2Bs through Wednesday (7) in the ABCC for registered companies. Tuesday (6) will open for a presentation by Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul states. Wednesday will be Minas’ and Goiás’ turn to present their potential. Over the following couple of days, importers will visit Minas Gerais, Goiás, and Paraná divided into three groups, and the program will end collectively on Saturday (10) in Foz do Iguaçu.
Read more:
Halal project’s action engages Brazilian states
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
