Tarciana Paula Gomes Medeiros

After spending more than two decades climbing the ranks of Banco do Brasil, Tarciana Paula Gomes Medeiros was promoted to president and CEO in January 2023, becoming the first woman to lead the bank in its 214-year history. Gomes Medeiros, who previously served as executive manager of the bank’s retail business, took office following a buoyant 12 months for the state-owned lender, whose revenue soared by 82% to reach $55 billion thanks to high interest rates on a swelling loan book. The hot streak continued through Gomes Medeiros’s first nine months on the job. The lender, which has 82 million customers and branches in about 20 countries, posted adjusted net profit of $1.79 billion for the second quarter of this year, a 12% year-on-year increase. The growth is due, in part, to a robust agribusiness loan portfolio, which increased by 23% to $66 billion in the 12 months from June 2022. A market vendor and teacher before moving into banking, Gomes Medeiros is a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and the rights of indigenous women. The bank loaned around $3.5 billion to women entrepreneurs in the first half of 2023, a 20% increase from the prior year. One of Gomes Medeiros’s goals is for Banco do Brasil to become a global leader in sustainable practices; its sustainable business portfolio is currently worth $66 billion and a hub for raising external funds to support ecofriendly initiatives across the country, the world’s 11th largest economy.