An entrepreneur at heart: Zaira’s story
Driven by her inherited entrepreneurial spirit, Zaira has not shied away from career choices outside her comfort zone, which have really accelerated her career
Zaira has always been fascinated about the business world. During high school she founded her own business, providing gifts from jewellery accessories and children’s souvenirs to hand-crafted wedding cards. Back then, she already knew that business administration would be the perfect fit for her. Zaira now holds degrees in business administration, management and finance from FGV in Brazil and New York University, and international business from the University of London.
Zaira’s family has been continuously instrumental in her career trajectory, as Zaira explains: “I got the entrepreneurial spirit of my grandfather, the assertiveness of my grandmother, the courage of my father and the negotiating skills of my mother.” Embodying all of this, Zaira is now the equity and infrastructure finance manager at BP’s Integrated Gas and Power division and fully committed to reaching BP’s net zero target.
Working towards providing energy with fewer emissions
Zaira joined the BP team in 2016, after having worked in banking and financial consulting for many years. She is now part of the Integrated Gas and Power team that was set up as part of BP’s commitment to the energy transition, and the world’s need for more power but with fewer emissions:
Creating an environment of growth
Driven by her inherited entrepreneurial spirit, Zaira has not shied away from career choices outside her comfort zone, which have really accelerated her career. Today, she is working to create an organisational culture focused on helping people grow: “Throughout my career I have been committed to mentoring, coaching and training. I believe that the work environment is more enjoyable when there is an evident transfer of knowledge. Knowledge is power and knowledge sharing is the path for organisational inclusiveness.”
This goes hand in hand with her personal goals and ambition to never give up. Zaira’s advice is to establish key targets every year – both from a professional and personal standpoint and be courageous to embrace challenges to convert your dreams into reality.