Hosted at the Travelex Confidence Group’s head office in the Brazilian city of São Paulo on June 26, sponsors and special guests from across the globe were welcomed by the newly installed BELTA president, who runs the TravelMate agency in Curitiba.
“We value building more stories over time, always valuing quality, safety, respect and responsibility,” said Alexandre Argenta.
“It is very gratifying to be part of this journey of Belta, which for over 30 years has played a fundamental role for the Brazilians, always sharing the best information about studies abroad.
“[It is also about] prioritising the quality of good service to all customers looking for agencies renowned with the BELTA Seal,” he continued.
The event was slated as a “board inauguration cocktail” by the organisation, with preliminary picks for the group having been made earlier in the year.
Those installed to the board include Argenta, as president; Maura Leão, the head of Yázigi Travel, as finance director (previously the president); Salvador-based BEX’s Antonio Flávio Crusoé Junior as institutional relations director; and Marina Jendiroba of the Brazil-wide Intercultural agency as operational director.
“Each new director brings with him a wealth of knowledge that will be extremely important for us to create the best strategies, aiming to promote the experience of international education for the greatest number of people,” added Argenta.
As part of the new board of the director instalment, an audit council and ethics committee were also selected – both of which are occupied entirely by women.
The Audit Council remains unchanged from 2021, when it was chosen over Zoom during the pandemic.
It is made up by the owner of Cultura Global, based in São Paulo, Derci Jardim; Central do Estudante’s Carla Amaral from Belo Horizonte, and Carisitane Marie Cardoso de Mello Silva of International Schools in Rio de Janeiro.
Each new director brings with him a wealth of knowledge that will be extremely important for us
Alexandre Argenta, TravelMate/BELTA
The Ethics Committee sees one change from the 2021 grouping – Vivian Lacerda of São Paulo’s Beeducation, who replaces Crusoé Junior.
The other continuing ethics committee members are Roberta Guschow of São Paulo’s Roda Mundo Intercâmbio and Anana Beatriz Faulhaber from CP4 Curso no Exterior in Salvador.
Special attendees joining included consulate representatives such as Consul General of Australia John Prowse and Jaqueline Aguilar from Canada’s Consulate General.
Education bodies represented were Education in Ireland, Austrade, Education New Zealand and the British Council in Simone Ricci, Stephanie Olivera dos Santos, Bruna de Natale and Patricia dos Santos respectively.
The Spanish embassy of Brazil’s education advisor José María Durán Gómez also attended the celebration.