Uphill Battle: Women Grappling Hard to Make A Mark In Costa Rica's Business World

The Central American country of Costa Rica has been on a long-winded journey towards improving women’s representation in leadership roles. the country has greatly succeeded in promoting women in public officers and the Parliament. The country had over 40 percent representation of women in the parliament in 2022.

Costa Rica comes up as an interesting case owing to its higher rating in terms of gender equality as compared to other Latin American countries. The country had introduced a unique political gender quota system which has been bearing fruit and the number of women in public offices has constantly improved.

However, this has not been able to strengthen women’s representation in leadership roles in the private sector. social norms, gender bias and other factors have been hindering women’s rise in private sector leadership.

But this makes their rise to leadership even more celebration worthy. The current edition of GWL is doing just that. We tell you stories of inspirational women leaders from Costa Rica.

The first tale of resilience and talent is of Melissa Hernendez, Founder & CEO of AS Desarrollos. Known for constantly challenging gender stereotypes, she has been leading a company that provides a wide range of services such as automation to custom software development, designed to fit the specific needs and requirements across industry verticals while maintaining a proven track record of excellence in client satisfaction. Known to be a progressive and dynamic thinker, Melissa holds a Master’s degree in Project Management and Master’s in Design thinking.

Sandy Viquez, CEO, Center of Joy is another exceptional leader from Cost Rica worth celebrating. Sandy leads with a passion for holistic wellness and transformative care. With a diverse background in education, finance, and business administration, she fosters innovation and global outreach, creating a nurturing environment for self-discovery and healing at the renowned wellness center in Las Catalinas, Costa Rica.

We also introduce readers to Roxana Sosa Ortiz, the CEO of Tripp Cargo, a leader in Costa Rica's logistics sector. With a passion for innovation and client satisfaction, she has guided Tripp Cargo's growth and international recognition. Roxana is also renowned for her advocacy in the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce.

Get to know more about these women leaders and their thoughts on leadership and more.

Do let us know your thoughts.