Transforming Workplaces with Empathy, Purpose & Human Connection

With over two decades of experience in Human Resources throughout worldwide and multicultural environments, Andreia Vitoriano has supported and guided leadership teams in leading organizations like Volkswagen, Cargill, and PepsiCo, driving people strategies that foster inclusive growth and organizational transformation.

In an insightful interaction with Global Woman Leader Magazine, Andreia shares her perspectives on leading with empathy and motive. She discusses how inclusive expertise techniques, well-being-pushed overall performance cultures, and proper leadership can create lasting effect throughout numerous teams; using sustainable transformation in today’s evolving commercial enterprise landscape.

How do you personalize talent development strategies across cultures without compromising consistency in leadership standards and values across regions and business units?

Working with multicultural teams has always taught me that the key is to respect local peculiarities without losing the consistency of the human values that connect us. Throughout my career, I've learned that active listening and respect for diversity are fundamental to genuinely adapt practices without losing the essence of ethical and collaborative leadership.

At Aché, our teams are located throughout Brazil. Because we live in such a large country, we experience cultural differences across many states and regions. Furthermore, we partner with and serve clients in 18 countries across Latin America, Asia, and Africa. So, we operate in a diverse manner that respects different cultures while maintaining a balance with Aché's values and purpose of bringing more life to millions of people.

How do you ensure a performance culture doesn't erode trust, well-being, and long-term employee engagement?

In my experience, a high-performance culture is only sustained when we care for people in a holistic way, enabling them to perform their roles fully. Throughout my career, I've noticed that results without well-being quickly fade.

At Aché, we seek this balance by strengthening leadership through initiatives like LíderAche, a movement built alongside leaders that fosters psychologically safe environments, in addition to broadly communicating the organization's current situation and future direction. I also see great value in initiatives that address physical, mental, and social health, through programs such as the Estar Bem Aché program, which now reaches thousands of employees and their dependents.

This combination of development, care and recognition is what keeps engagement alive over the long term. At the core of our culture is a passion for life. This drives us to develop treatments and health solutions for people. This is only worthwhile when people within the company are also taking care of themselves and developing.

What transparent communication or cultural practices have helped you retain top talent during intense organizational change?

Clarity and cultural cohesion are essential in times of transformation. I always strive to maintain communication practices that bring leadership and teams closer together, such as special moments with the CEO (like breakfasts), regular meetings and internal channels for exchange and information.

Culture multipliers and people agents act as bridges between departments, strengthening the dissemination of information and strategic alignment.

In times of change, we also celebrate achievements and encourage innovation, demonstrating that each individual contribution is part of something bigger.

This transparency not only reduces uncertainty but also reinforces a sense of belonging, allowing talent to remain motivated and committed, even in challenging or unstable scenarios. We prepare leaders to be the organization's spokesperson and are always equipped with the latest information to align communication with their teams.

How do you co-create an employee value proposition that actually reflects what people need and ensures in translates into day-to-day behaviors?

At Aché, in addition to competitive benefits, we create initiatives that encourage continuous learning, flexibility and connection with purpose, with initiatives led by Corporate Education and mentoring programs. We also invest in health and well-being through our Estar Bem Aché platform and program, initiatives such as Wellhub, which encourages healthy habits, and the Levemente Program, which offers free psychological support with limited sessions for both employees and their dependents.

By integrating development, recognition and care, we translate these values into daily practices that strengthen engagement and drive results.

We offer flexible work hours, a time bank for adjustments to specific calendars, and a short Friday for administrative staff, who compensate for their time during the week to leave early on Fridays.

What unconventional leadership development initiatives have you launched that helped shape agile, authentic leaders aligned with business transformation goals?

To prepare leaders for a constantly changing scenario, I combine classic concepts with innovative practices. At Aché, we've created functional academies, such as Leadership and Supply Chain, and include topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as socio-emotional competencies.

Our Executive Development Program integrates individual interviews, workshops and team coaching, enhancing social skills and relational intelligence. We also hold mental health meetings for leaders, focusing on creating psychologically safe environments. These initiatives develop agile leaders connected to strategy and capable of leading authentically, inspiring teams and sustaining organizational transformation in uncertain contexts. The autonomy and protagonism of leaders are crucial.

Most of our regular leadership meetings involve this group actively participating in the development of solutions.

One example is the LiderAché program itself, which was created and named by the group of leaders with the goal of driving the revitalization journey that Aché has been undergoing in recent years. Now, we've taken a new step with the launch of the I Lead movement, which aims to strengthen leadership at all levels of the organization.

What are the top three mindset shifts you would recommend for women leaders looking to lead people-centric transformation successfully?

My experience has revealed three essential mindsets for leading people-centered transformations. The first is the courage to occupy spaces and influence strategic decisions with authenticity. The second is to cultivate resilience, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and innovation. And the third is to lead with purpose, connecting business results to the positive impact on people around you—in your personal and professional lives—and on society.

Throughout my career, I've noticed that combining strategic vision with empathy strengthens trust and collaboration. Professionals—women and men—who embrace this balance continue to gain ground and build lasting legacies that drive profound and sustainable cultural change.