Bloomberg New Voices Launches Initiative in São Paulo

SÃO PAULO, Brazil— Bloomberg announced the expansion of its New Voices program to São Paulo with a celebration and networking reception held at Instituto Tomie Ohtake on Tuesday. This marks the program’s first expansion into South America, and São Paulo now joins New York, London, Paris, Johannesburg, Dubai, Singapore, and more as the initiative’s 16th city.

The New Voices program began in 2018 with the goal of increasing the representation of women as expert sources across media platforms. Bloomberg sponsors intensive media training for women and other under-represented executives in business and finance to prepare them for broadcast appearances on Bloomberg TV and other media outlets.

During the event Banco do Brasil CEO Tarciana Medeiros spoke with Julia Leite, Bloomberg Managing Editor for Emerging Markets in Latin America, about her growth outlook for 2024 and the legacy she hopes to leave as the bank’s first woman CEO. The event also featured a conversation with Nubank Brazil CEO Livia Chanes moderated by Bloomberg TV anchor Annmarie Hordern, where she discussed the fintech sector, Nubank’s expansion into other Latin America markets, and more.

Laura Zelenko, Senior Executive Editor and Founder of New Voices at Bloomberg, and Vanessa Dezem, Bloomberg’s Bureau Chief for Brazil also delivered remarks at the launch about the importance of amplifying diverse voices through the New Voices program.

Speaking at the event, Zelenko said, “We decide every day who gets to speak on our platforms, whose views inform our coverage, who gets to tell our audiences what is the outlook for the economy, for markets, for a particular industry.” She continued, “Standing here in São Paulo, I should add that even beyond gender, it’s important that we are bringing more voices from this country, from this region, to our global financial reporting.”

Since the inception of the New Voices Program, Bloomberg has more than tripled the number of on-air female guests to 36%. The initiative expanded in 2020 to include a cohort of Black executives of all gender identities, and in 2021, Latinx executives across the U.S. More than 600 executives in more than 15 cities have participated in the program.