Renata Angelini’s Path from Self-Doubt to Boardroom Confidence

Renata Paiva Angelini, an attorney with more than two decades of experience in corporate law, governance, M&A and structured finance, vividly remembers a moment that reshaped her understanding of what it means to serve on a board. During her participation in the women-only governance program at Brazil’s Saint Paul Escola de Negócios, she and her classmates dissected the full 400-page public prosecutor’s report on a catastrophic dam collapse—a tragedy that could have been prevented, the professor argued, had board members and executives fulfilled their oversight responsibilities. “The reflection went beyond the technical side,” Renata recalled. “It was a genuine provocation about the role of a board member and their responsibility.”

The experience was part of a broader journey that took Renata from a career spanning family businesses, multinationals and publicly traded companies—with stints in wind energy, retail and digital banking—to the Saint Paul program, which she entered thanks to a professional connection. While other participants questioned the single-gender format, for Renata it was precisely the draw. “I felt more comfortable being able to make mistakes in an environment where only women were students,” she said. “It gave me the security to participate.”

That comfort was paired with rigorous content. The dam case study was a turning point, but the program’s international module in Berlin, focused on family businesses and governance in centenary firms through a technology lens, also resonated with her professional and personal life—Renata has family roots in Germany. She had initially tried to join a module in Spain, but a job change made it impossible. The Berlin trip, she noted, was both academically rich and personally warm, combining rigorous learning with a supportive, almost familial atmosphere.

Yet the most lasting revelation came not from a case study or an international lecture, but from the candid conversations with fellow participants. “I kept asking myself, ‘Do I really have the right to be here?’,” Renata admitted. “And then, as we got to know each other, I realized that many women I considered absolutely ‘powerful’ shared their own personal insecurities and basic doubts—things that mostly existed only in our heads. In the end, each one’s experience added to the others and refined our own.”

Why Even ‘Powerful’ Women Share the Same Insecurities

The Dam Case Study as a Governance Mirror

The choice to anchor a governance module on a real, fatal dam failure is deliberate. It forces participants to move beyond compliance checklists and ask whether boards truly grasp the operational and human risks they oversee. Renata’s shock—both at the tragedy and at the professor’s pointed questioning—illustrates how technical expertise alone is insufficient; effective governance requires the moral imagination to anticipate consequences and the courage to act before disaster strikes.

The Value of Women-Only Spaces for Leadership Development

Renata’s comfort in an all-female cohort highlights a persistent barrier in executive education. Many women report that mixed-gender settings, particularly in male-dominated fields like governance and finance, can amplify self-doubt or discourage vulnerable questions. A single-gender environment, as described, removes that layer of pressure, enabling participants to focus on learning and to forge authentic peer networks. This is not a universal preference—some participants questioned the format—but for Renata and others, it was the catalyst that turned hesitation into enrollment.

Imposter Syndrome Across the Executive Suite

The program’s most revealing lesson was the near-universality of imposter feelings among its high-achieving cohort. Executives who, from the outside, seemed supremely confident admitted to the same basic doubts Renata harbored. This normalisation of insecurity is more than a personal comfort; it suggests that boards and leadership programs could benefit from explicitly addressing psychological safety. When accomplished professionals openly share their fears, it demystifies the gap between self-perception and external success, potentially accelerating the development of the next generation of board-ready women.

What Aspiring Board Members Can Learn from Renata’s Experience

Renata’s experience offers one clear, specific lesson for women considering board roles or governance training: doubt is not disqualifying. The same women she looked up to as “absolutely powerful” later confessed to the very insecurities she felt. When selecting a development programme, therefore, it may be worth prioritising environments that encourage openness about these vulnerabilities—whether through single-gender cohorts, facilitated peer discussions, or case studies that provoke moral reflection alongside technical learning. The right program does not just teach governance; it can transform self-perception into strategic confidence.