Sheyla Resende is no stranger to adapting.

Growing up in Brazil, she lived in 23 different cities as her father’s job building highways required frequent moves.

A civil engineer by training, Resende started at real estate developer Gafisa SA in 2009 as a trainee and worked her way up, including stints at construction sites where she was often the only woman among 400 workers.

Now, at age 37, she’s the first female chief executive officer in the Sao Paulo-based builder’s 70-year history.