Time to Innovate: Horiens Celebrates Black Awareness Month with Inspiring Stories

Journeys that Drove Progress
Throughout November, the campaign has been sharing stories of Black individuals who transformed the world with their ideas, courage, and talent—outcomes of their personal experiences and diverse perspectives.

They used innovation as a path to change scenarios and promote significant advances in various fields. Check out the stories we shared at the end of this publication.

Diversity that Inspires and Generates Innovation
Valuing diversity is an essential pillar for corporate innovation, and more and more studies confirm this relationship.

According to research by McKinsey & Company, for example, companies with greater ethnic and racial diversity in their executive teams are 36% more likely to achieve above-average financial performance. A Deloitte study shows that diverse teams are 20% more creative and have greater capacity to solve complex problems, highlighting the strategic value of inclusion in companies.

“By recognizing different journeys and ways of thinking, we reinforce Horiens’ commitment to inclusion, equity, and respect for differences, in alignment with best ESG practices and our own corporate culture,” says Fernanda Antonelli, Horiens’ Director of People, Communication and Marketing, and coordinator of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

“When we bring together people with different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we create more creative, empathetic environments capable of generating new and relevant solutions,” Fernanda adds.

Friday Talk
As part of the campaign, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Horiens also proposed and will lead a special edition of the internal event “Friday Talk”, dedicated to the theme of racial diversity.

The meeting will bring together company members for an open dialogue, learning, and exchange of experiences about the role each person plays in building more inclusive and innovative environments.

Meet inspiring Black individuals who contributed to society’s progress through diversity and innovation:

The daughter of a factory worker and a homemaker, Patricia Bath broke racial and gender barriers to become the first Black woman to receive a medical patent in the United States.
In 1986, she invented the Laserphaco Probe, a device that uses laser technology to safely and precisely remove cataracts, revolutionizing eye surgery and restoring sight to millions of people—especially in communities with limited access to healthcare.

Born in Nigeria in the 1950s, Philip Emeagwali had to leave school at the age of 14 due to financial difficulties, but his father continued teaching him at home with 100 math exercises a day.
Years later, in the late 1980s, he developed parallel computing techniques that inspired the creation of modern supercomputers, revolutionizing the processing of massive amounts of data.

Raised in a humble family in Ohio in the 19th century, Granville Woods began working early in workshops and railroads, where he discovered his passion for electrical engineering.
Holder of more than 60 patents, he developed the telegraph system for trains, which allowed communication between locomotives and stations—a decisive advancement for railway safety.
After successfully defending the authorship of his invention in a dispute with Thomas Edison, he declined an invitation to work with the famous inventor, reaffirming his independence and determination.

Born in 1877, the son of formerly enslaved parents, Garrett Morgan began working as a child and taught himself mechanics.
An entrepreneur, he founded his own workshop and, in 1923, developed the safety hood—the predecessor of gas masks—an invention that gained prominence when he personally used it to rescue workers trapped in a tunnel.
He also created the three-position traffic signal, the basis of today’s traffic lights, making cities safer and more organized.

At age 14 in Malawi, William Kamkwamba had to drop out of school due to lack of resources, but he continued studying in libraries.
Inspired by science books, he built a windmill from recycled parts to generate electricity for his village—a gesture of curiosity and creativity that inspired the world and led to the film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Born in Curitiba in 1913, Enedina Alves Marques faced racism and sexism to graduate as a civil engineer in 1945, becoming the first Black woman in the country to earn this title.
As a public servant at the Paraná State Department of Water and Electric Energy, she contributed to major projects and paved the way for greater female and Black representation in Brazilian engineering.

The daughter of a teacher and inspired by a commitment to education, Jaqueline Goes de Jesus became a biomedical scientist and researcher.
In 2020, she led the team that sequenced the coronavirus genome just 48 hours after the first case in Brazil, proving that science and collaboration save lives. Her work contributed to global progress in science and public health.