Solange Virginia Duarte Isidoro

Class of 2011

Solange Virginia Duarte Isidoro was born December 18, 1956, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Armindo Isidoro and Maria Augusta. She has two siblings, Fernando and Sonia.

She was educated at Escola Estadual João Alfredo, in Rio, and went on to get degrees in English language for foreigners from the University of Cambridge and communications from Colegio River.

In 1980, she began her 31-year career in the candy business as a secretary at Embaré Industrias Alimenticias S.A., working her way up the management ladder to become the head of the export and import department in 1994.

Since taking on the role, Solange says the company has seen its exports increase 2,300 percent, reaching 50 countries on five continents.

She is also credited with development work on both the company’s products and packaging, as well as promoting the Embaré brand worldwide.

Her industry accomplishments include being the first woman appointed to the Brazilian confectionery industry’s ABICAB trade association export committee. She has been an active member of the association since 1998 and currently serves as vice-president of exports. She is also president of ABICAB export project management and president of the Export Committee.

Solange has led projects to improve the Brazilian industry’s presentation at trade shows in national exhibition pavilions.

Her other industry honors include being the first woman invited by the Ministry of Foreign Trade to represent the Brazilian confectionery industry on a Middle East trade mission, visiting Saudi Arabia and Yemen among other countries. She was also asked to represent the confectionery industry on a Brazilian Presidential Trade Mission to China.

Solange regularly lectures on worldwide confectionery issues at numerous Brazilian institutes of learning, and she is the current lecturer on international trade at the Juiz de Fora Commerce Association.

She attributes her success to always stopping and observing the environment around her, allowing her to sell products in foreign markets. Solange says consumers are alike, but not the same and little differences can make a product succeed or fail.

Away from the industry, she enjoys reading, music and nature photography.