The opportunities and challenges for Brazil in 2014 go far beyond staging the World Cup just months before Brazilians choose their new President. The international media will feature as never before all of Brazil’s regions, its politics, economy, and society, and its position in Latin America. This could boost business opportunities even as it rekindles national pride in Brazil and its national soccer team the Verde-Amarelo. Yet Brazilians know they must plan beyond this year in the spotlight, to rekindle the economy -- promote entrepreneurship and innovation – and expand the grounds for social mobility.

How can women leaders contribute to make vibrant growth for all? The 2014 Forum will address this fundamental question for Brazil and South America more generally. From a standpoint of women as influential social and economic actors, we will widen our perspective and the communities that participate in the Forum itself:

• continue to feature speakers and participants from large Brazilian and international corporations – while actively including for the first time the heads of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women entrepreneurs – and in the process, create participation from all of Brazil’s regions;
• encourage a larger participation of women from Colombia (as our official delegation) and from across the South American continent, to benefit from the region’s great leaders from business and civil society. To facilitate, we’ll provide translation in Spanish as well as Portuguese and English for the plenaries and larger sessions in parallel;
• mix up the generations so they will exchange on their hopes, expectations and dreams, as well as find great contacts outside their peer groups. This will include the return of the Rising Talents Initiative that recognizes highly talented young women who are on their way to becoming influential figures in the economy and society.