Between Autonomy and Concession: A Female Entrepreneur's Struggle in Latin America

Third Place Winner; 2024 DEI Global Case Writing Competition

Liliana Gutiérrez de Piñeres is a Colombian entrepreneur who runs Lemaître, a management consulting firm specializing in regulatory compliance. Liliana faces discrimination from businessmen in her industry because she is a woman, and is tired of this situation. In 2022, the context of an international project in Chile—where she faced repeated slights from the client that appeared gender-based—catalyzed Liliana’s desire to leave the business. By the end of the case, she wonders whether to remain at the company’s helm as a female entrepreneur and face the challenges of a macho context, put her husband in charge of the business, or sell the company altogether.

• Decide among alternatives for continuity of the business when its female founder and leader is faced with a macho social context.
• Propose strategic actions that a female entrepreneur can implement regarding the gender barriers of her business context.
• Evaluate the mechanisms that a female entrepreneur can use to maintain the legitimacy of her business.