RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – What do gymnast Simone Biles, writer Shonda Rimes, American soccer player (and Gisele Bündchen’s husband) Tom Brady, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, have in common with businesswoman Luiza Trajano? All of them were listed as one of the 100 most influential people globally by Time magazine, in the Titans category.
The publication elected Trajano as a reference in her field. The magazine has a tradition of asking other personalities to write about the new listings. This task fell to former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was also among the most influential.
“In a business world still dominated by men, Brazilian Luiza Trajano has managed to transform Magazine Luiza, which started as a single store in 1957, into a retail giant worth tens of billions. It is a great achievement – one among many,” Lula wrote.
Trajano is the only Brazilian among the 100 most influential people. Last year, digital influencers Felipe Neto and President Jair Bolsonaro were on the list. Among political leaders, the publication highlighted Joe Biden, president of the United States, Xi Jinping, president of China, and Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar.
“I never joined a political party, but I am a politician.”
The businesswoman led a group of business leaders that worked to help the government to vaccinate the population. Buying the vaccine, however, was not in the plans. Trajano, who transformed Magazine Luiza into one of the largest retailers in Brazil, clarifies that things belong to the government and others belong to private enterprises.