The April edition of G5 Talks was a discussion with Helena Caldeira, CFO and Investor Relations Officer of Banco Inter. This young executive has been at the Bank since 2016 and is now responsible for the entire financial and market relations division.
In a chat with partners Levindo Santos and Francisco Bilé, and Maíra Bordieri, an analyst at G5 Partners, Helena spoke about her professional career and commented on the challenges women face in the corporate environment, in addition to the challenges of managing a digital bank that is constantly transforming and growing at high rates.
G5 Talks is a project through which business leaders exchange experiences and lessons learned with the G5 team.
Women and the job market
Helena told us she has always sought after her own growth and space by dedicating herself to her professional training and never being intimidated by obstacles. For her, the fact that the financial market is predominantly male has never interfered with her ability to pursue her dreams and projects.
“I’ve ignored this context during my entire life, in the sense that I do not feel excluded because of it. I believe people should be evaluated according to their competences and skills. I have always overcome problems or difficult situations I faced. I always invested not only in my professional training, but also in my personal development, through courses, therapies, readings, everything that makes me who I am today”, she explained.
According to the executive, the fact that she comes from mostly female family boosted her even more. “They are strong women. Having that kind of inspiration at home always helped me to push myself further. And that made me who I am. I also try to contribute with my share by bringing more women to the team, in the most natural way possible”, she says.
Tolerance for error allows room for growth at Banco Inter
Banco Inter currently has over 2 thousand employees and a market value of more than R$50 billion. The Bank has been expanding and Helena says she has also grown professionally in the process. “I have a lot to contribute with Banco Inter, but so do many other people. We are always reinventing ourselves and growing. And as we grow, we need to constantly share responsibilities and increasingly attract people with technical experience in new areas of knowledge”, said the executive, who also stated that “the Bank seeks to hire individuals who are not only prepared, but who are good people. We have already become a reference employer brand”.
According to Helena, one of Banco Inter’s greatest challenges is “to continue its consistent growth. This is even more challenging than maintaining an entrepreneurial impetus since that is already deeply ingrained in our corporate culture”.
Helena points out that one of the key points for the Bank to maintain itself agile and with adequate governance is its “tolerance for error”. “There is always a chance to propose something new. And we have a tolerance for error, so long as you try to quickly correct the mistakes and learn in the process. This is part of our culture. But how is this done while preserving processes and security? By not allowing our pillars to fall. Stability, integrity and security are our pillars”, she concluded.
Helena also stated that the Bank carries out this effort on a recurring basis. “We maintain ongoing efforts to improve governance. If we did not have a culture that tolerates errors, and I mean genuine errors, there would be no opportunity for us to test and evolve. Our agenda must always be guided by innovation, with governance”, she finalized.
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