With equity policies, the company highlights the protagonist role of women in the energy transition and in the production of biofuels made from macauba

Montes Claros (MG), March 2026. At 48, Josineia Siqueira represents important milestones at Acelen Agripark – Agro-industrial Technological Innovation Center of Acelen Renewables, an energy company owned by Mubadala Capital. As part of a team of five people, the occupational safety technician has been involved in the project since before its official inauguration in August 2025. 

“I started in May 2024 and had the privilege of contributing from the beginning to this fundamental step in the energy transition. It has been a journey full of learning, challenges, and achievements. Each phase has been transformative and will leave a legacy not only professionally but also personally,” says the employee, who has degrees in Philosophy, Business Administration, and Law.

She is one of 50 professionals working at the complex focused on the production of seedling of macauba, a sustainable raw material for biofuels such as SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) and renewable diesel. Women already make up 36.5% of the total workforce, which has 137 employees.

This percentage puts Acelen Agripark in a prominent position since it exceeds the historical average for the industry. According to data from the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (Cepea), although the participation of women in the Brazilian agribusiness labor market has shown consistent growth, the increase was from 24.1% to 28% in just over a decade. The figures are from the 2018 study “Brazilian Agribusiness Labor Market, Special Edition, Volume 1 – Women in Agribusiness.”

For Ana Calorine Pereira, who works in the Pre-Nursery, this statistic is a thing of the past: in her area, women make up 50% of the team. With a degree in Nursing, the 29-year-old employee operates the Ellepotmachine, imported equipment with cutting-edge technology for seedling production. She highlights the importance of a diverse environment: “Having the opportunity to interact with other people from such different backgrounds and experiences, each of whom adds something new, is very important to me.”

She goes further: “It is very rewarding to be in a place where I can be a role model for other people, succeeding and inspiring them. Coming from where I come from, the way I was raised, being a black woman, the option we have is to seize today’s opportunities, and that is what I want: to work and strive to be a better professional every day.”

Favorable environment

Priscila Medeiros, Human Resources Director at Acelen Renewables, emphasizes that the significant female contingent reflects the nature of the business. “We are at the beginning of an innovative, pioneering, and sustainable project that offers the chance to explore new challenges. We have already collected stories that translate in practice the positive impact of the company on the lives of those who work with us and their families.”

For the manager, the company operates as a channel for development and improvement in quality of life. “We have female leaders at the forefront of technologies, processes, and strategic sectors,” she adds. To make the scenario even more favorable, the organization has an Attraction and Selection Program focused on gender equality, in addition to policies such as maternity leave extended to six months.

Wherever they want

According to Maria Thereza Silva Paranhos Souto, HR analyst at Acelen Agripark, women hold positions ranging from assistants and operations technicians to supervisory and coordination positions in such areas as Agronomy, Modeling, Industrial Operations, Research and Innovation, Engineering Projects, HR, and Social Responsibility.

Stephanie Veloso, 35, is one of them. With a degree in Occupational Safety, she works at the pilot plant as an Operations Technician alongside eight other female colleagues who, together, represent 56% of the team. “I think it’s wonderful that we are united, learning and growing. It makes me happy because we will have more and more space on various fronts. An empowered woman always turns obstacles into opportunities,” she concludes.

Effort that pays off

The female power in the agro-industrial team has contributed to major collective achievements at Acelen Agripark: in January 2025, the first industrial extraction of macauba oil took place. Of the total 138 hectares, 59 hectares are used for experiments (divided into eight experimental areas and one control area), and 15 hectares are used for the agro-industrial complex.

In the venture, financed by BNDES, female employees also work in seed germination and seedling production, in automated/robotic processes focused on reducing losses and costs, in the implementation of experimental crops focused on species adaptation and oil productivity improvement, among other activities.

About Acelen Renewables

Acelen Renewables is a renewable energy company owned by MubadalaCapital, a global asset management company based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, created to participate in the global energy transition actively. More information at acelenrenewables.com.