South Summit 2026, June 3-5 in Madrid
His Majesty King Felipe VI awards the Summit Southern Leadership Award to Luiza Helena Trajano, one of Latin America's most influential businesswomen
Madrid, June 4, 2026 – His Majesty King Philip VI presented the South Summit Leadership Award to Luiza Helena Trajano, one of Latin America's most influential businesswomen, on Thursday. The award was given by the organization for his exceptional professional career and his work towards reducing social, racial and gender inequalities.
The award ceremony took place on the second day of South Summit Madrid 2026, an event co-organized by IE University. María Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit, wanted to highlight Trajano's career, assuring that "he represents 100% of the spirit of South Summit, with a great ability to build a company, innovate, grow and put leadership at the service of society. True leadership is built with the impact you leave. Thank you for reminding us that the company is a fundamental tool to fight inequalities and build a better society."
Luiza Helena Trajano has become an institutionally and socially respected figure in Brazil. His leadership has been marked by a constant defense of equality, inclusion, education, entrepreneurship and dignity of people, using his position to promote real changes in society.
Her social commitment is especially reflected in the Women of Brazil Group, a movement she founded in 2013 and which today is one of the most important women's civil networks in Latin America, with more than 140,000 participants in Brazil and abroad. The organization works in areas such as education, entrepreneurship, social inclusion and combating violence against women.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Luiza magazine, Luiza Helena Trajano was instrumental in the transformation of a family business founded in 1957 in the interior of the state of São Paulo into one of the largest retail and technology groups in Brazil. Under his impulse, Magalu has consolidated itself as one of the great milestones in the digital transformation of Brazilian retail.
Trajano wasincluded in the TIME 100 list as one of the most influential people in the world, recognized by the Financial Times among the most influential women in the world and named Person of the Year 2022 by the Brazil-United States Chamber of Commerce. It has also been recognized for nine consecutive years as the business leader with the best reputation in Brazil, according to the MECO ranking.
With this recognition, South Summit highlights the career of a leader who has demonstrated that innovation and business growth can go hand in hand with inclusion, equality, and commitment to society.
About South Summit
South Summit is the global platform that brings together all the actors in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem to promote the development of business opportunities among all of them. Its main meeting is the South Summit Madrid, co-organized by IE University, which has had more than 42,500 startups throughout its fourteen previous editions, while the Startup Competition has produced more than 1,500 finalists, with a survival rate of 85% and more than 20,500 million dollars in investments raised.
For more information: https://www.southsummit.io/e/madrid/
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