Imagine a CEO
Post em Branco launched the "Imagine a CEO" campaign using AI generative images, real data, and facts to expose how structural racism and the lack of diversity in executive roles fuel anxiety within Brazil's Black workforce.
Challenge
Brazil faces a significant issue in the business world: the absence of Black professionals on leadership roles. In 2022, not one of the 423 companies on the São Paulo Stock Exchange had a Black CEO. The 2023 Forbes list of Brazil’s Best CEOs? Zero Black leaders. A Google search further reveals that none of the top 36 Brazilian are Black or check Veja’s Linkedin most influential executives—same story.
These facts expose the systemic barriers Black professionals face and underrepresentation, limiting career opportunities, increasing anxiety, fuels impostor syndrome and mental health impact. As data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health reveals that the suicide rate among Black youth is 45% higher than among white youth.
The lack of Black leaders also underscores deep educational and social disparities, discouraging young Black individuals from aspiring to leadership roles due to the absence of visible role models. The absence of Black executives isn’t just a diversity issue—it’s a mental health crisis affecting an entire generation of professionals.
Idea
Our campaign invites the audience to imagine—while also playing with the generative image AI MidJourney, where prompts begin with "imagine"—a CEO of a global bank, a tech company, or a holding company. Perhaps you might struggle to picture this CEO as a Black professional, an older individual, or even a woman. The result is an AI-generated portrait of a Black CEO, exposing the structural racism embedded in the corporate world.
"Imagine a CEO" exposes the reality in companies and publications like Forbes, Bloomberg, and other influential lists, which continue to reinforce the same white stereotypes as synonyms for success, revealing how structural racism impacts career progression and mental health. By highlighting the racial gap in leadership, it sparks conversation and action. But most importantly, "Imagine a CEO" creates a reference point by showcasing the potential of Black professionals in leadership roles.
We’re taking a stand for the urgent need for workplace diversity and better mental health. Imagining isn’t enough—we need action to create a future with real representation and less anxiety.
AI Biases
The use of MidJourney AI-generated imagery in this campaign exposes technological biases and the lack of representation of Black Brazilians in the digital space. Crafted manually by our AI specialist in collaboration with Black professionals, we created the prompts, generating over 300 images for each persona to ensure broader representation—otherwise, the results for a CEO were overwhelmingly white men, reflecting systemic issues in our society.
A community often erased or misrepresented, Black Brazilians continue to have their diverse backgrounds and culture ignored in both the physical and digital world. This absence in AI-generated content further reinforces exclusion, making it even harder to challenge stereotypes and creating a real impact on mental health in the corporate ecosystem.
The "Imagine a CEO" campaign has now contributed examples of Brazilian Black CEOs and feed MidJourney database with diversity, paving the way for a future where innovation, representation and mental health move forward together. This ensures that AI tools do not perpetuate biases but instead embrace the richness of all communities—shaping a workplace culture where representation grows and anxiety fades.
"Imagine a CEO" calls for action against structural racism impacting Black professionals' mental well-being, and career growth, promoting a more equitable future.
Results
The campaign saw a 39% increase in awareness of structural racism and anxiety, along with an 18% rise in followers from other racial backgrounds. Engagement grew by 12% in just six days, setting a new benchmark for Post em Branco's share metrics compared to previous campaigns. Additionally, "Imagine a CEO" was featured in two articles.
The limited coverage highlights hesitation within media channels to directly address topics like racism and mental health, reflecting a broader industry reluctance to take a firm stance on socially challenging issues. It also brings attention to the predominance of white leadership and the toxic environment in the media industry.
Racism and discrimination are crimes—report them.
If you experience anxiety symptoms, please seek
help from a specialist immediately.
Post em Branco is a platform dedicated to mental health awareness, with the goal of breaking taboos around anxiety. Through educational content, collaborations, and tools, it helps people manage anxiety while encouraging them to seek specialized treatment.