Organized by the Corporate Partnership Board of the International Transport Forum (ITF) in celebration of International Women’s Day. Gabriela Viñales, Paraguay Director at Investancia, contributed her insights alongside other distinguished speakers.
Women are disproportionately affected by biofuel production compared to men, making it crucial to safeguard their needs and promote their roles in this evolving industry. As the biofuel sector grows, it’s imperative to ensure women’s participation, recognize their innovations, and guarantee they are protected and fairly compensated for their contributions.
The session explored the challenges surrounding this increasingly vital topic at the intersection of gender, transport, and agriculture. It addressed the key question: How can we ensure women are adequately represented and included across all aspects of the biofuel industry?
Speakers:
- Laura van Rijn, Global Feedstock Portfolio Manager for Shell’s Low Carbon Fuels Business, Shell
- Gabriela Viñales, Paraguay Director, Investancia
- Linda Schmid, Manager of Ethanol Policy and Sustainability, US Grains Council
Moderator:
- Sharon Masterson, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnership Board & Institutional Relations
Investancia’s Commitment
“Investancia is committed to equal opportunities: 50% of our workforce are women, with a significant number from Indigenous communities. Women hold key positions at strategic, technical, and operational levels. They play vital roles in seedling production, the application of new technologies, and ensuring safety and health across our operations. In our Asunción office, women contribute significantly to administrative, financial, and strategic tasks. Investancia provides all employees with bank accounts and healthcare support, positively impacting their professional growth and their communities.”
– Gabriela Viñales, Director | Investancia
Investancia’s mission and role in the Biofuel Value Chain
“Investancia restores degraded cattle-grazing lands to sequester carbon while producing bio-oil and protein — supplying low-carbon-intensity feedstock for renewable biofuels. Our research center in western Paraguay, established in 2013, makes us the world’s largest producer of Pongamia trees. Our goal is to plant 50 million trees across 100,000 hectares in the Paraguayan Chaco, generating 30 million carbon credits over 40 years. With 200+ employees working across two production sites and an office in Paraguay’s capital, we are driving sustainable innovation from the ground up.
Investancia’s participation in this event highlights our ongoing dedication to fostering gender equality and empowering women as leaders and innovators in the biofuel industry.”
– Gabriela Viñales, Director | Investancia
About the corporate partnership board
The Corporate Partnership Board (CPB) is the International Transport Forum’s platform for engaging with the private sector, bringing business insights into global transport policy discussions. Representing companies with millions of employees worldwide, the CPB plays a vital role in shaping the future of transport. In November 2018, during its plenary meeting in Seoul, South Korea, the CPB initiated a ‘Workstream on Gender’ to drive conversations about gender equality in transport. Since then, the Board has hosted annual events on International Women’s Day, focusing on topics such as ‘Hiring and Retaining a Gender-Balanced Workforce,’ ‘Women and Road Safety,’ ‘Addressing Gender Bias in AI Data,’ and ‘Women in STEM.’ These events continue to champion gender diversity and inspire change across the industry.
