Juliana Monteiro, 31, was born in Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, in eastern Brazil, but grew up in the state capital, Vitória, where she went to high school. Then she studied civil engineering in Rio de Janeiro. She graduated from college in 2002 and moved to São Paulo, where she still lives today. Juliana works out at the gym almost every day and loves to go out with her husband, Sandro Gamba, and friends. Travel is another hobby. Whenever she can, she goes to Vitória to visit her parents and enjoy the local cuisine. The engineer joined Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias (OR) in 2006 as the officer Responsible for the Alpha Square project. From 2009 to 2010, she helmed two other real estate ventures: Alpha Park and The One. Her outstanding performance led to her promotion to Project Director in January, making her the first woman to hold that position at the company: “Women are taking on and overcoming fresh challenges in our society,” she says.

A Brazilian psychologist with a degree from Boston College in the United States, Gabriela Rocha, 25, has been a member of the Odebrecht Corporate Social Responsibility Team in Peru since January 2008. At first, she coordinated sustainable development projects for the South Interoceanic Highway. She has lived in the Andes, almost 4,000 meters above sea level, along with indigenous communities. She fell in love with their strong, well-preserved ancestral culture and the colors and contrasts of Peru. Now she provides support for projects in the areas of Social Programs and Climate Change. “I’ve changed a lot these last three years,” says Gabriela. “Today I fully believe in the power of business to transform the economic situation of a region and benefit the needy.”

On February 2, the feast day for the sea, Nadja Silva Fontes, marked 13 years at Braskem. She is an engineer specialized in Automation and Process Control and is completing an MBA at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV). A native of Salvador in the Brazilian state of Bahia, Nadja joined the company as a trainee in 1998. She is currently responsible for the Olefins Process Engineering team at Basic Petrochemicals Unit I in Camaçari, Bahia. “At work, what I enjoy most is contributing to the continuous improvement of plants to ensure a better work environment and people’s professional growth,” she says. And after work? Then Nadja likes to relax, and she enjoys that too: she loves to go to the beach with her family and hike the trails with friends.