Speaker: Izabelle Macedo, LATAM Marketing Director, Google Cloud
Why is Women’s History Month important to you?
Izabelle Macedo: To me all months are Women's History Month. Why choose one out of 12 in the year? Right? I'm just kidding. Women's History Month is important to me because it's that moment of celebration, a collective learning opportunity and the spaces for connections between our communities. But it's also a reminder of all the work that needs to be done, and a moment to inspire the next generation. A reminder that the fight for equal opportunities between men and women goes back centuries. And it's also a reminder that we need to shake our prejudice, break the stereotypes and really question the obvious. So as a mother, as a daughter and as a woman myself, Women's History Month are all months of the year.
What is the most important diversity goal for women in your organization?
Izabelle Macedo: Three diversity goals, I believe are super important in our organization at Google are: One, to challenge the status quo. Two, to be more vocal And three, to onboard more allies. There's one thing that I've learned in life, is that we can't succeed at anything alone. Plus, shared accomplishments and successes are just so much more fun when they are indeed shared. So a couple of things that I keep in mind is: One, how do I elevate other women? And how do I fight and advocate, not only for myself, but for these other women, in order to celebrate these collective accomplishments. Two, is having the courage to speak up and raising those little indignities that we see on a daily basis. And three, which is the hardest one, and that I'm learning myself, is this notion of privilege. And how do we use our privilege to fight for equality in the workplace. Yes, I'm a Latin woman, but I also come from a position of privilege. Be at my position in the company or my education. It's really important that we recognize how we contribute to the total, and how do we use this power or this position to help others.
Which woman in history inspires you the most, and why?
Izabelle Macedo: The other day I watched the movie Milan with my daughters and after the movie ended, we've got into this great conversation about what women can and cannot do. I told him that when Brazil, we're from Brazil and we live in Brazil today. But I told him that back in the 19th century, when Brazil was fighting for independence, women also couldn't enlist in armies. And yet there's this amazing story of a young woman who, against her father's will but with the help of her sister and her brother in law, cut her hair really short, dressed in men's clothing and enlisted against her father's will. She actually went to war and fought and struggled for the Independence. She was eventually recognized by the emperor and pardoned. But it's just so amazing to think about the struggles that these women went through, but yet the determination that they showed the perseverance, that grit. And it's something that I hope that you know, I can transmit to my daughters to a certain degree and to inspire other women as well. But I just find it absolutely amazing when we stop to reflect about women who aren't stopped, right. Who aren't halted by what society tells them that they can and cannot do. So for this reason, one of the women who I remember and who I really admire is this woman named Maria Quitéria, who fought for the independence of Brazil alongside, you know, thousands of other men.
What is the biggest challenge for the next generation of women?
Izabelle Macedo: One piece of advice that I received early in my career and that I really take to heart is that careers are not linear and that you have to have patience. Sometimes you move sideways in order to go up. Sometimes you discover new paths. The most important thing as you're forming your career is really focusing on collecting experiences and skills. That way you form a sort of tools, toolbox, in which you kind of pick up and use on your next endeavor on your next adventure. And understanding that is when you get to know a little bit more about yourself. Sometimes you discover your passion and things that you weren't even expecting. And that's the beauty of it. And that's the most important part too. I mean, I graduated with a degree of economics, started working in consulting and banking. Who would have thought that today I'd be in marketing, B2B marketing in a technology company? Cloud, I mean Cloud probably didn't even exist by the time, you know, that I graduated college. So I hope this goes to show is a little bit of that, you know, there's still a whole world out there. So many surprises. Let yourself, you know, follow that path and be inspired. And really try to gain skills, understand your passions and have fun along the way.
