Teresa Barreira

Teresa Barreira is a global C-suite leader with over 25 years of experience building and leading teams in both large and small companies. She was born and raised in Northern Portugal and emigrated to the United States as a teenager prior to attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As a young Hispanic student, she was inspired by the US education system and how it offered an opportunity for her to explore multiple disciplines. Barreira pursued a Master of Business Administration at Northeastern University following completion of her undergraduate degree. Teresa began her career at IBM, where she spent over 10 years working in various parts of the organization. Over the years she has held leadership positions in multiple leading Fortune 500 organizations from Accenture to Deloitte. She is now Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Publicis Sapient where she leads a rapidly growing team of more than 150 members across more than 7 countries. Known for her drive to innovate and think differently; she embraces the unknown and operates with fearlessness. A recent recipient of the Gold Stevie Award for Achievement in Management and Excellence in Leadership from Consulting Magazine, Teresa makes the complex simple and converts challenges into opportunities. She is also a winner of three Clios and a Global Ace Award for the social impact documentaries she produced. Teresa’s passion is empowering the next generation of leaders. Whether through her day-to-day role at Publicis Sapient, where she instills a “test-and-learn” mentality across her team or in the expansive work in local communities she is committed to, focused on inspiring youth at the high school and college level. Her commitment to enabling and building future talent pools via internships and immersive learning experiences is evident. Teresa believes that providing access for young minds to explore future career paths beyond those visible to them every day and to be inspired, is an important component to advancing DEI and empowering the next gen. Teresa is based in Boston, MA, and lives and resides in Toronto, Canada with her two teenage sons.