Stories that Inspire: PWN São Paulo in the cause for balanced leadership

PWN São Paulo is a not-for-profit association dedicated to promoting balanced leadership in companies, with a focus on gender equity. Founded in May 2014 by a group of French and Brazilian female executives, the organisation faced challenges in expanding its message and impact. As a volunteer-led organisation with 12 board volunteers, PWN São Paulo needed professional support in accounting and financial management to operate efficiently and transparently. The association sought to encourage women to grow as executives or entrepreneurs, attract more companies to its balanced leadership programme, and increase male engagement in the cause of gender equity, recognising that without men—predominantly in strategic positions—many advances would not be possible.

Seteco provided excellent accounting services to PWN São Paulo, offering professional support in financial management. In addition, Marcia Alcazar, a Seteco consultant, served as fiscal adviser to PWN São Paulo from its founding in 2014, demonstrating Seteco's commitment to the cause. The accounting consultancy enabled the organisation to operate with transparency and efficiency, freeing up volunteers to focus on strategic activities promoting balanced leadership. Seteco's professional support was fundamental in allowing PWN to expand its programmes and initiatives.

Under the leadership of Lina Nakata as co-president since January 2017, PWN São Paulo has grown significantly. The organisation has achieved nearly 8 years of operation with 1,700 registered members and hundreds of people engaged across social networks (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook). The association has implemented several successful programmes, including a mentoring programme, monthly events, a balanced leadership programme, and entrepreneurship education. The organisation has succeeded in raising awareness about the importance of balanced leadership and has worked on male engagement in the cause. Lina Nakata launched a specialisation course in gender equity on the Coursera platform consisting of 130 hours of classes and activities. Future goals include engaging more people with content, mentoring more women, maintaining monthly events, encouraging women's growth as executives or entrepreneurs, and attracting more companies to the balanced leadership programme.