Unique ideas.

Maria Helena de Aguirre Miessva or Lena Miessva.

I am a granddaughter of Poles on my father’s side and a descendant of Spaniards on my mother’s side, a perfect combination of the passion for what I do and the reason to guide my actions. Brazilian, from São Paulo by birth and Carioca at heart after living in Rio de Janeiro for almost a decade and learning to appreciate (and applaud!) a good sunset. I am passionate about writing and creating Communication projects that add value to society – which I have done over four decades in the profession. I love the challenges that writing poses to us, such as telling stories about people and their cities, companies, and their contributions to society. I believe in the strength of human relationships to have a more socially just and environmentally protected world.

Living with colleagues and managers in the workplace or on specific projects is an exercise in empathy, resilience, and respect for ideas and words. Because I believe this, I asked friends, company colleagues, and business partners to give their testimonials about this coexistence. I am very proud of my career and, thanks to what I learned, I am starting a new journey on Portuguese soil. It’s great to receive praise and, even better, to see that I contributed to personal growth or professional improvement.

“Lena Miessva was more than my boss! She is one of my great mentors (yes, she still is)! A lot of what I know I learned from her, from a simple note to a major crisis when I had to analyze priorities along the way. Much of who I am today as a manager has an air of Lena Miessva, who is always sharing knowledge and encouraging the team to move in the same direction. One of my great references! As a complete communication professional, leader, teacher and friend!”

Ana Caiasso

Journalist and Director of Communications and CSR Latin America at Alstom

“For at least three decades, I have been very proud to enjoy the professionalism and friendship of Maria Helena Miessva, or simply Lena. A journalist and writer of the highest professional caliber, Lena innately combines qualities such as ethics, competence, respect, honesty, friendship, fidelity and elegance. For several years I had the honor of being able to count on her leadership in the corporate communications area of some multinational and national companies. Later, together, she was my partner in the relentless pursuit of delivering high quality work to a large number of entrepreneurs and companies in the most important sectors of the national and international economy. We experienced good and bad times. But, with great pride, it was a successful partnership. Lena never shied away from big challenges. In fact, she used to seek them out as a way of practicing her ability to overcome them. Praising the good is great. Exalting competence is not only an obligation, it is also a way of recognizing a professional who should never be defined as “just another one”. She is part of a group of exceptional people who are only made up of a few”.

Journalist Antonio Salvador Silva. President of the CDI Communications and Marketing Group

“The other day I remembered some projects we did together at Boehringer Ingelheim, a German pharmaceutical company. One of them was the Christmas CD “Songs for a Christmas Night”. I took part with Mary (as I’ve called her since we worked together). CD ready, success came like lightning! Mr. Manthé (the company’s president) sent it as a gift to his fellow presidents in the United States and Spain. When they heard it, they were delighted and asked for copies. Then, we had to face another challenge in a short time – making the versions in English and Spanish, producing more copies, and sending them to these countries to meet their deadlines. This project taught us a lot about management, time management, teamwork and resilience to overcome all the setbacks we had. So here’s my hug to you, I miss my friend and I’d like to say that “to remember is to experience joyful emotions” and that only those who have been through it can translate it into a few letters: GRATITUDE.

Carlos Nahum, company administrator and CEO of Galileo Health

“In the 1980s, press relations began to gain relevance and prestige in Brazil, mainly as a result of the massive influx of journalists into this field. It was an activity that paid better and also offered a good quality of life compared to newsrooms. I had the opportunity to coordinate a Committee of Press Officers at the largest journalists’ union in the country, in the state of São Paulo, alongside several colleagues who worked in the field, leadership positions. And Lena Miessva was one of those colleagues who worked hard to organize the segment, which has grown, gained prestige and is now made up of around 1,000 communication agencies and employs more than 18,000 professionals. Since then, Lena has never ceased to be by my side in the various professional journeys we have experienced since then. And Two of the most significant partnerships we have made professionally were the organization of an environmental, safety and quality at work award for Petrobras, the largest Brazilian company and one of the largest in the world in the oil sector; and another for journalism, sponsored by HSBC Bank, also one of the best-known brands in the world and at the time with a strong presence in Brazil’s financial system – this award was called the HSBC/Jornalistas&Cia Press and Sustainability Award. Now, despite her living in Portugal, we are still very close and partners, even from a distance”.

Eduardo Ribeiro, Journalist, and Managing Partner of Jornalistas Editora, Mega Brasil and GECOM – Grupo Empresarial de Comunicação

“Mary (as I call Lena) has always been, is and will always be a source of inspiration to me. She is a professional I admire greatly for her intelligence, professionalism, commitment and honesty. I had the pleasure of meeting her when I was a press officer for Otis at an agency. We spent years sharing a lot of experience and facing various challenges. One of the most rewarding jobs we did together was the revitalization of Christ the Redeemer (RJ). How many meetings with the Roberto Marinho Foundation, trips to Christ the Redeemer, meetings with journalists, visits to newsrooms, lunches with opinion formers! We were stressed, we laughed a lot and we celebrated! And so almost 25 years of friendship, partnership and learning have passed. Today, even though we are a little apart, me in Brazil and her in Portugal, we continue to work together and face the challenges of the profession, which, by the way, are not few. Having Mary as a friend and professional will always be a privilege!”

Lucia Nunes, journalist and CEO of LN Comunicação

“The Corporate Communication Yearbook is one of Mega Brasil ´s main products. Now heading towards its 14th edition, the publication’s early years were fundamental in building its reputation and recognition as an important market benchmark. Relying on Lena Miessva as Executive Editor in the initial period of the Yearbook’s life was fundamental to building this reputation. Her serious, committed and in-depth work set the tone for the publication, signaling the importance and relevance it would achieve in the following years. Working with Lena Miessva was undoubtedly a privilege for us at Mega Brasil.”

Marco Rossi, Journalist and managing partner of Mega Brasil and GECOM – Grupo Empresarial de Comunicação

“I had the pleasure of working with Maria Helena at the start of my career and she was an important professional inspiration for me. Her extensive experience in Corporate Communications, focused on brand exposure and company reputation, always stood out. Without a doubt, she has charted a successful career in every position she has held.”

Priscila Gallego, Company administrator and Senior Marketing Manager LAA, Otis Elevators

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