Adriana Machado

Who Is Adriana Machado?

Adriana Machado is one of Latin America’s most recognized business leaders and a passionate advocate for impact economy. With a distinguished track record in senior management at major corporations, Adriana served as CEO of GE Brazil and is the founder of the Briyah Institute, a B Corporation that combines innovation with practice and shared purpose to drive positive change in society. She is also the co-founder of the Berlin Future Forum Verein, a platform promoting international dialogue and cooperation on innovation and sustainability.

What is her Professional Background?

Adriana Machado became the first CEO of GE Brazil in December 2011, where she led the creation of GE’s first Global Research Center in Latin America, the company’s fifth worldwide. After two years as CEO in Brazil, she was appointed head of government affairs and policy for GE Latin America, a position she held until 2015.
Prior to her tenure at GE, Adriana held strategic roles such as Director of Government Relations at Intel Brazil and Director of Strategic Affairs at the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil. She also served as a political advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Brasília. She began her career as a research assistant at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) within the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), affiliated with Brazil’s Ministry of Planning.
Adriana has been recognized in various rankings, such as “Top 10 Most Powerful Businesswomen in Brazil” by Forbes and “Top 50 Most Important Businesswomen in Latin America” by Latin Trade Group. In 2013, she was named “Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year” by LIDE, and in 2014 she received the “Aeronautical Merit Order Award” from the Brazilian Air Force.