Marcia Esteves, CEO and companion of Lew LaraTBWA: “For many individuals it’s nonetheless surprising to see a lady within the CEO chair”

Successful professional in the advertising market, Marcia Esteves is one of the few women in Brazil acting as CEO from a large agency Communication. For two years she has been in charge of the Lew Lara\TBWAwhere she is also a partner.

But, despite her professional achievements – she accumulates relevant works and awards – Marcia sees her own trajectory in a simple and spontaneous way: “My goal was never positions. I was more interested in finding the manager I wanted to work with. I mapped the agencies by seeing the teams I would like to be a part of. Because I believe that, in fact, we do not work for companiesbut stop people”.

By the way, the word “people” – always in the plural – was one of the most present during the conversation with Marcia. “I opted for Communication precisely because I like to be with people and be able to help them”, she summarizes.

Until you meet the Communication, his great desire was to study medicine. “While my friends talked about getting married and having children, I said ‘I want to be a doctor!’”, She remembers and says that the only reason she didn’t go ahead with her old dream was because she came across the exact sciences. “When I got to the pre-university entrance course and started to see that ball thing that weighed so much and took I don’t know how long to hit the ground with a certain speed, I saw that it wasn’t for me, that I wasn’t going to be happy”.

No problem. Armed with the “Student Guide”, Marcia researched other courses and decided to take the entrance exam for Communication – she has a degree in publicity and advertising from FAAP. It was love at first sight. Or rather, on the first day of school: “Communication deals with people and can be a tool for transforming society through positive messages. I would say that, more than a passion, I was scared and I was lucky”.

After graduating – she also did MBA in management of strategic and economic projects in FGVin addition to specializations in the US and Israel – Marcia built a career in communication agencies because “I always liked noise, teamwork and creativity above anything else”.

passed by Leo Burnet Tailor Madefor the Wunderman Thompson and, in a space of five years, he was able to exercise his talents and abilities in the USA, Australia, Italy and Spain. In addition to leading communication for brands such as pepsico, P&G, Netflix, Devassa beer etc. In 2017, aged 34, he assumed the co-presidency of gray Brazil where, two years later, he became CEO.

Next, Marcia Esteves talks about communication, Brazil, diversity, the third sector and how good it is to be able to play an instrument.

girl power

“For many people it is still shocking to see a woman sitting in a CEO chair. Therefore, I know very well the size of my responsibility. It’s not just leading a company, it’s pushing an agenda and normalizing the fact that women can achieve and perform well in the position. We cannot forget that almost 52% of the Brazilian population is female and 85% of the purchasing power in the country is in the hands of women.”

Who doesn’t communicate…

“If we want to make a communication that really talks to people, we have to represent the country that we are. We have a diversity of language, physical characteristics, gender, race, religion. Thus, as leaders and citizens, our role is to ensure that companies represent Brazil as it is. This is our daily challenge. Effective communication needs to be representative.”

The Shock of the Future

“I arrived at Lew Lara\TWBA in December 2019 and, in the following month, our colleagues from the agencies in Asia were already telling us what was happening there. We immediately started to prepare a contingency plan and I was like, ‘I’ve never made a plan that I’m sure I’m going to throw it away.’ Well, in March the entire agency was at home office. That’s why it’s always good to have all the plans ready, even if it means throwing them away and rebuilding them. In fact, we already have the plan ready for the return, which should not happen before next January, when we will have everyone immunized. The return will certainly be exciting.”

the voice of the heart

“My biggest commitment is in the third sector, participating in councils or carrying out social actions. The time is for more humanity and more empathy. I am involved with Teto – a Latin American NGO that fights poverty in needy communities – with Turma do Jiló, an educational project that aims to reduce problems in public education, such as truancy and bullying – and now with a program to help homeless people, an initiative of my hairdresser.

While washing my hair, she told me that, in addition to working hard at the salon, she also helps around 230 homeless families a month, ensuring they are at least bathed and fed. I said, ‘I’m in’. I’m using my expertise to build a name, establish a brand, and create the infrastructure to get it all back on its feet. The project does not yet have a name, but it already has a heart.”

In the beat of life

“I love diving, something I’ve been doing since I was 14. However, for the last 18 months I have been living on the surface. Diving, for me, is the great balancing act: silence, breathing, the little fish around and my family together. The perfect match. I also really like music and playing instruments. I play guitar, piano and drums… Very badly. I make three chords here, three more there and say I play something. In fact, what I really like is traveling, being with my family and friends. I seek simplicity and tranquility in life.”

Source: Forbes