Helena Villela de Carvalho Tavares (she/her) has extensive experience in advancing economic mobility, gender equality, and systemic social change through global program management, corporate partnerships, and cross-sector collaboration. Currently, she serves as the Corporate Engagement Manager at Women First International Fund, where she leads fundraising efforts and builds partnerships with corporations to advance economic empowerment for women, girls, and transgender individuals.

Previously, Helena was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Generation Brasil, where she scaled operations, secured significant funding from major corporations, and achieved an 80% job placement rate for over 4,000 individuals in tech and retail sectors. She also co-created a $2M endowment fund for racial equity during her tenure at Fundação Lemann, partnering with global foundations to promote inclusion and sustainable development. Helena’s career spans roles in international development, public policy, and social innovation, including positions at Instituto Lula, where she managed strategic partnerships across Africa to drive food security and sustainable agriculture, and at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she represented Brazil at the United Nations on issues of human rights and gender equality.

Helena holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Development Practice from Columbia University, where she was a Jorge Paulo Lemann Scholar, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. Passionate about driving systemic change, fostering cross-cultural collaboration, and promoting sustainable development, Helena enjoys traveling, exploring new cultures, and reading in her free time.