It was so natural to spend more time with men that we even got the hang of them.
Karla Marques Felmanas’ routine is intertwined with the image of Cimed, the country’s third-largest pharmaceutical company, which expects to earn R$5 billion by 2025. Vice-president of the company, the executive opened her Instagram in 2021 – the same year she joined Forbes Magazine’s list of 20 successful women – to talk about everyday life at the company, lifestyle, fashion, health and well-being. She ended up attracting 1.2 million followers on Instagram and more than 760,000 on TikTok. Fame didn’t just catch on with Carmed Fini lip balm, one of the biggest cases in the business originated by her grandmother, João Marques, with the Prata laboratory, in 1950. Today, fans stop Karla on the streets to talk and take photos. Married and mother of three adult children, she has just released the book Oi, tchurma, with creative direction by Giovanni Bianco, and spoke with the propmark.
How did the idea for the book come about?
The book came to inspire people, tell a little of my story, without being a very formal biography, but bringing 12 thoughts that I had throughout my life, and that made me get to where I am. I just eat. I loved writing. I’m sure I’ll continue writing from now on. The book comes with a special Carmed, Oi tchurma, an exclusive gift, which is only in the book.
Until when will it still be necessary to talk about gender equality in the workplace, and outside of it?
Look, I don’t think anyone will know how to answer this accurately. Absolutely, we have made a lot of progress in recent years. I went to a recent lecture by a 65 year old lady. She worked at an automaker. She started on the factory floor and grew until she was invited to work in the office. When she got there, it didn’t even have a women’s bathroom. Imagine how crazy. She became a director and, when a professional reached this position, she gained the right to receive a car as a benefit. But it took her a year to receive the vehicle because the company understood that, as a woman, she didn’t need it. She started working 20 years before me. a very close reality, what was, to what today.
What does it take for women to carve out more of their space?
You need to invest more in the opportunities that appear. We have several situations throughout our lives, for example, when we plan to get pregnant. If, by chance, there is a recruitment process at the company at the same time that the woman starts thinking about having a child, and she doesn’t even know how soon it will happen, it is unlikely that the woman will apply for the position. She worries about being absent from the company during the maternity leave period, among other issues. Often, opportunities appear that require fluency in English, but if the woman, in fact, does not feel superfluent in the language, she does not apply, while the man goes there and takes the plunge. I tell the women at Cimed to play more, take more risks, do self-marketing because if you don’t talk, no one will. And, we will continue like this. You have to speak.
What influence does the male world have?
I find it funny that we women, who occupy higher positions in companies, have to deal a lot with men, and we also end up becoming very entrenched in this masculine culture. Suddenly, we find ourselves making judgments through the male gaze. It took me a while to realize this, especially because, in meetings, we always have more men. It was so natural in my professional journey to spend more time with men that we even got the hang of them. The other day, I went to give a talk to a group of women leaders. I’m used to speaking in public. I have spoken countless times to packed audiences. But can you believe that this time I was nervous talking to a bunch of women? Do you know why? Because of the trial. Because women have a tendency to judge.
Read the full interview in the edition of propmark from April 1, 2024
