The new female CEOs of multinational companies in Chile

In the last six months, three women have taken the helm at Walmart, Unilever and Movistar Chile: Annie Walker, Chantal Goldschmidt and Carolina Vallejo, respectively.

While boardrooms discuss diversity and gender policies that promote it, at the management level, the issue remains on the back burner —especially for the top executive position.

For years, the CEO position at large companies has been almost exclusively held by men, especially at Chilean firms. This contrasts with multinational corporations, which have been quicker to open their leadership roles to women. In the past six months, for example, three women have taken the helm at Walmart, Unilever and Movistar Chile: Annie Walker, Chantal Goldschmidt and Carolina Vallejo, respectively.

All three are foreign nationals with extensive careers at the very companies they now lead, and they are taking the helm at a pivotal moment for their companies. They add to the growing list of multinationals with female leadership, as seen in the energy sector, including María Teresa González at Statkraft, María Galainena de Carlos at Enel Generación and Mónica Hodor at Enel Distribución.

From an expert perspective, Cristina Manterola, Managing Partner for Latam South at Egon Zehnder, notes that an increasing number of companies, especially multinationals, are demanding diversity in their shortlists. However, she explains that top management positions are the result of careers built over decades, so changes take longer to materialize.

“What we see today is not a lack of intention or progress, but rather a gradual transition. Furthermore, the remaining barriers are becoming less visible and are more closely tied to cultural and structural factors that continue to affect women’s career development over time,” she emphasizes.

The main challenge increasingly lies in the pipeline rather than in the final decision. “We have made great strides in opening doors; the challenge now is to ensure that more women reach the CEO threshold. The conversation is no longer just about who is chosen but about how we build robust lines of succession for female leadership so that these appointments become natural and frequent.”

Among the most recent trailblazers, Chantal Goldschmidt—an Argentine who has lived in Chile for over a decade—says, “Companies do not need to choose between diversity and performance; they need diversity to achieve better performance. I hope there will come a time when we stop treating the first woman or the exception as good news. That will mean the focus will simply be on who is the best person to lead an organization at a given moment.” She emphasizes that “opportunities for development and visibility must be equal.”

Drawing on her professional experience and organizational culture, the CEO at Unilever Chile says that among the practices she would like companies to implement is continuing to strengthen a high-performance culture where people feel both challenged and valued. “I always say that brands grow when people grow,” affirms the Business Administration graduate from Universidad de San Andrés, who has more than 30 years of experience at Unilever.

Carolina Vallejo Londoño, the Colombian CEO at Movistar Chile, takes a more optimistic view. “I believe we have made much more progress than we sometimes acknowledge, but there is still a long way to go. For many years, opportunities to advance into leadership positions were unequal. These processes take time to correct because executive careers are built over decades. However, I like to look at the issue from a broader perspective. I do not think the goal should be for companies to appoint more women just to meet a statistical target. The real challenge is to build organizations where the best talent can thrive without barriers that limit that growth,” says the executive, who previously served as CEO of Tigo El Salvador.

Regarding her arrival at Movistar, she says she feels proud to be the first woman to lead a telecommunications company in Chile. “It is a milestone with significant symbolic value, because role models matter. When a girl, a student or a professional sees someone like her in a leadership position, she understands that this path is also within her reach. I hope it inspires more women to develop their talent and take on new challenges.” This vision also aligns with Movistar Chile’s new phase, as she notes that the company is undergoing a transformation that “requires viewing talent through the lens of the ability to generate results, mobilize teams and build the future—rather than any other characteristic.”

At Walmart, the new American executive will be the company’s first female CEO in Chile; she has been part of the U.S.-based group since 2009.

Source: El Mercurio.