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Luiza Trajano, a Brazilian businesswoman, has appeared on numerous lists, including TIME’s most influential people, Forbes’ billionaires, and the richest people in Brazil. Despite being mentioned as a possible candidate in Brazil’s presidential elections this year, she insists on staying off one list: the ballot. With the country deeply polarised ahead of the October elections, “I want to unite Brazil,” not further divide it, says the 73-year-old entrepreneur, who made her fortune building her family’s magazine, Magazine Luiza, into one of Latin America’s largest online retailers.
Trajano, a household name in Brazil, is not shying away from the spotlight as the race with the far President Jair Bolsonaro and his nemesis, leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, heats up.
Trajano, known for her trailblazing work promoting women’s equality, combating racial discrimination, and pushing to speed up Brazil’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign, says she is as engaged as ever in this crucial election year.
“I want to take Brazil to where I believe it should and deserves to be,” she told AFP in an interview.
“I want to put an end to these deep divisions that are causing a lot of harm to the country,” said the elegantly dressed businesswoman, a forceful speaker with an imposing personality balanced by her contagious laugh and bright red lipstick.
‘Another’ odyssey –
There are many Brazilians who want Trajano to enter politics.
Her name was floated as a potential “third-way” candidate as the business sector and political middle sought centrist alternatives to Lula and Bolsonaro.
There was also speculation that Lula might ask her to be his running mate.
“I’ve been invited to run numerous times, including for president,” Trajano said.
But she added that she doesn’t want any more labels than the ones she already has: chairwoman of the board of directors at Magalu, as her company is known, and president of Women of Brazil, her 100,000-member autonomy initiative.
