Supporting Women’s Economic Development in Latin America

Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Women is a global initiative that supports economic development by providing education, capital, networking, and mentoring opportunities to enterprising women all over the world. The program has been supporting women in Latin America for over a decade, graduating thousands of women in Mexico, Peru, and Brazil from its world-class business and management education course.

This year, the Goldman Sachs Foundation has made this curriculum available to more women around the world, releasing a free, fully online course in Spanish and Portuguese.

In this interview, Goldman Sachs’ Managing Director, Head of EM and Commodities Local Sales and Latin America Structured Credit Sales Agostina Pechi talks about the program and why women need access to resources now more than ever.

• This sponsored content interview is published in partnership with AS/COA’s Women’s Hemispheric Network. Learn more about WHN.

Q: Tell us about the 10,000 Women program.

A: The 10,000 Women program stems from our belief that developing enterprising and managerial talents in women is one of the most important factors in ensuring more shared economic growth. The goal of the 10,000 Women online course is to encourage ambitious women to look up and work on their companies, rather than in their companies, so that they can grow and take their businesses to the next level.

The 10,000 Women program is actually a collection of 10 separate online courses, each of them focusing on a selected key business area. Think a mini-MBA, covering topics from marketing to management, leadership, negotiations, and finance.

Q: Why did Goldman Sachs make this course available in Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese this year?

A: We know that COVID-19 is having a significant impact on women all around the world, and small businesses are among those suffering the most. In this context, online learning opportunities and access to resources are more important to entrepreneurs than at any time in the past. The online course provides critical tools to help women sharpen their business skills, to both tackle the ongoing crisis and thrive in a post-pandemic landscape.

Consider financing. We know that sharp finance skills are more important than ever for business in this turbulent economic climate. But we also know that for many entrepreneurs, it is the passion for their product or service that spurs them to start a business, rather than an enthusiasm for balance sheets. Now, consider one of our graduates in Mexico, Monica, who runs a large-scale lighting business. In Monica’s own words, ”Design is my passion and what I love most, and the most difficult thing about running my business is the numbers.” 10,000 Women online has three separate courses relating to funding and finance, providing women like Monica with balance sheet basics, help on how to evaluate their business financial profile, allowing them to develop a cash flow forecast, and more.

Q: What happens after the course?

A: The course itself is just the beginning of the learners’ journey with us. Once they are finished, the women join the 10,000 Women alumni community—an extensive network of like-minded, ambitious women. We already have a strong alumnae community in Latin America; graduates of the online course will join that powerful community of women all over the region. Being part of the community also offers them wide possibilities for continuous learning and support. For example, this year Goldman Sachs people from our offices in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and the USA provided coaching sessions to our Latin American alumnae, helping them tackle the unique businesses challenges they were facing in light of COVID-19.

Q: Where can people learn more?

A: Check out the 10,000 Women online web page and start learning immediately, for free, in Spanish and Portuguese.

Also, learn more about Monica’s learning journey at: 
https://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000women/coursera/monica.html