Former CEO of pharmaceutical Bayer in Brazil, Theo van der Loo, told CNN this Saturday (20th), Black Consciousness Day, that there is “much untapped potential” in the country because black people are “ignored”. According to him, Brazil is a “half-fold” nation.
“I see that we are a half country. Brazil is one of the most populous countries in the world, but we are, in reality, only half. the other half [referindo-se à população negra], there is no opportunity, and there is a lot of potential that is not being used”, he stated.
Van der Loo’s reflection, considered an ally of the black movement and one of the important voices for blacks in the corporate market, came from a conversation with two friends.
“Basically I put myself in the listening position, I talked to two black people I knew, and what I was told is that if I didn’t bring up this subject, they would hardly talk about it [diversidade e mesmas oportunidades], because they would think they would be complaining about the company. Today it has changed a lot, but at that time there was not much talk”, he said.
Van der Loo was CEO of Bayer in Brazil from 2011 to 2018. According to him, the engagement in the racial issue began when he asked himself where the company’s blacks were. “I always felt that something was with me that I would have to do.”
In an interview with CNN, the executive pointed out that in the conversation that started a reflection on racism, black people made a point of pointing out that “they didn’t want any favors”.
“They also said that they didn’t want any favors, that they just wanted an opportunity to show what potential they had, as they had to be much better than a white person to be able to appear on the radar of a promotion and a hiring. In the same way that a woman has to be much better than a man for her to have an opportunity”, he concluded.
Reference: CNN Brasil
