Increasing racial representation at PwC Brazil

Erivelton Ramos, Senior Manager, Assurance, PwC Brazil

When he was growing up, Erivelton never imagined being an auditor. Without family in the business world, he did not see a role in a Big 4 firm as a possibility for him. During his time at university, Erivelton’s professor suggested looking into auditing at a large firm. While the corporate world was unfamiliar, and he wasn’t sure he was a natural fit, Erivelton decided to take a chance and apply to PwC Brazil. Erivelton’s apprehension was replaced with excitement when he received a job offer. As he celebrated with his family, he realised what a big moment this was for all of them. Little did Erivelton know the world of opportunities that would open to him at PwC -- and that he would help open for others.

About five years into his time at PwC Brazil, the Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) Community of Practice (CoP) group was formed. CoP provided a safe place to talk about race, sexual orientation, gender, disability and generational differences. Up to this point, most conversations about diversity were focused on gender. As one of few Black men in the Rio de Janeiro office at the time, Erivelton was immediately attracted to the group. He had never discussed race with his colleagues or work friends before, but through his participation in CoP, Erivelton was able to explore and discover his identity as a Black man.

“I really want us to become more diverse and inclusive, because I want people to feel very comfortable here, to feel represented, to feel they have others like them.”

One of the first challenges that Erivelton and fellow members of CoP talked about with I&D team was the low representation of Black and Brown people at PwC Brazil, starting with new hires. Working closely with the recruiting team, efforts helped change the composition of the new hire classes, hiring more and more black professionals and increasing the firm's racial representation.

Despite the success in having more black professionals in junior roles, Erivelton and his CoP colleagues didn’t see the same type of diversity at the manager level and above. To combat this, they gave some ideas to their I&D team to create a programme designed to prepare Black senior associates for success as managers. With a focus on building both technical and human skills, not only did they aim to help diverse talent rise to leadership positions, but wanted to boost retention and a sense of belonging.

“When I looked to the side and I looked above me I thought, ‘Oh my God, I'm kind of alone here because I don't have other Black people with me’. We need to change this at PwC Brazil.”

Erivelton saw his work with the I&D team pay off recently in an orientation session to welcome over 200 new hires. When asked about their favourite takeaways from the day, to Erivelton’s shock, diversity was one of the top responses. He was struck that diversity came across so clearly and positively to new hires. As someone who had at points felt alone as a Black man at PwC, and worked to change that for others, it was an energising moment to see a new generation of solvers experience diversity as part of their PwC experience from day one. For Erivelton, PwC Brazil has provided a place where he can grow in his career while also making a difference for others like him.

When he’s not in the office, Erivelton likes to plan barbecues with friends and family or check out new restaurants. You might also find him at a club listening to Samba music. Erivelton would love to live in another country some day, immersing himself in a new culture and language and studying something completely different than audit, like gastronomy.

LIGHTNING ROUND: quick questions and quick answers

From your experience, how do you sum up Inclusion & Diversity at PwC?

Belonging

What should others know about PwC’s commitment to Inclusion & Diversity?

We are putting in the work to make change, so PwC is a very safe, very inclusive place for everyone to be who they want to be.

Erivelton Ramos
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