Luiza Helena Trajano

Luiza Helena Trajano is the former CEO of retailer Magazine Luiza, which has nearly 1,000 stores in Brazil and a booming e-commerce arm.She owns a bit more than 17% of the Sao Paulo-listed firm, which her parents founded in 1957 and named after her mother (also named Luiza). Trajano was hired as an apprentice by her parents at age 18, working in different roles until she became CEO in 1991. She led Magazine Luiza's expansion into online sales, a fast growing part of the business that now accounts for nearly 40% of revenues.She handed off the CEO role to her son Frederico Trajano in 2015 and has been chairman of the board since then.