'Davos wife' shrugs off gender imbalance to become leader at annual forum

When Patricia Villela Marino first came to Davos, Switzerland, nine years ago, she would stay up late to make an online bid to get into the World Economic Forum's panels. She was accompanying her husband, a Brazilian banker, and there were no seating guarantees.

This year, as a delegate in her own right, she attended about 40 panels or sessions connected with the forum, ranging from leadership to public policy. With a law degree from a Brazilian university, Marino oversees a fund that invests in social policy initiatives and is working on issues including legalizing marijuana for medical treatment.

"I had two options: be in Zurich shopping and then hop in my husband in his comfy car, or wake up and hop on the shuttle" in hopes of getting into early morning sessions, said Marino, 44, gesticulating to make her point at a table in a hotel near the congress center, wearing a gray shawl and black leggings. "It's up to the women to be willing to come, leave family behind."