rediff.com
News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

Rediff.com  » Business » World's 30 most powerful businesswomen
This article was first published 12 years ago

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Last updated on: September 2, 2011 09:25 IST

Image: Chairman and chief executive officer PepsiCo Indra Nooyi attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
Photographs: Christian Hartmann/Reuters.
Three Indian businesswomen, PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi, ICICI Bank's CEO Chanda Kocchar and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon -- have been listed in 'The World's 100 Most Powerful Women' list by Forbes magazine.

These women are among those who matter the most in the world. Their business acumen and managerial skills have turned around companies across the globe.

Meet the most powerful women in the corporate world

1. Indra Nooyi (Rank 4)
Chief Executive, PepsiCo
Age: 55

Indra Nooyi is the world's most powerful businesswoman. She heads PepsiCo, a company that has one of the world's largest portfolio of food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales.

With $60 billion in revenue, PepsiCo employs nearly 300,000 people worldwide.

(World ranking in brackets)

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg speaks during a session at the World Economic Forum
Photographs: Christian Hartmann/Reuters.

2. Sheryl Sandberg (Rank 5)
COO, Facebook
Age: 41

Sheryl Sandberg, an internet entrepreneur was earlier vice president of global online sales and operations at Google.

She was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org. Sandberg has also served as Chief of Staff for the United States Department of the Treasury.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: IMF MD Christine Lagarde holds a news briefing at the International Monetary Fund headquarters.
Photographs: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters.

3. Christine Lagarde (Rank 9)
Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Age: 55

A French lawyer, she was voted to head the International Monetary Fund since July 5 2011.

She has held various ministerial posts in the French government including that of the Economic Affairs, Finances and Industry.

Lagarde was the first woman ever to become minister of Economic Affairs of a G8 economy, and is the first woman to ever head the IMF.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Kraft Foods chief executive officer Irene Rosenfeld speaks at the Initiative For Women Biz series.
Photographs: Mike Cassese/Reuters.

4. Irene Rosenfeld (Rank 10)
CEO, Kraft Foods
Age: 58 

Rosenfeld has over two decades of experience in in the food and beverage industry.

Her first job was at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency in New York and she later joined General Foods in consumer research.

In 2004, Rosenfeld was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, where she focused on promoting healthy products.

Rosenfeld was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods in June 2006.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Susan Wojcicki.
5. Susan Wojcicki (Rank 16)
SVP, Advertising, Google
Age: 43

Susan Wojcicki is Google's SVP of Ads. She was previously vice president of product management responsible for managing Google's advertising, monetisation, and measurement platforms products, including AdWords, AdSense, and Google Analytics.

Before joining Google, Susan worked at Intel, and was a management consultant at Bain and R.B. Webber & Company.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Georgina Rinehart.
Georgina Rinehart (Rank 19)
Mining Tycoon
Age: 57

Georgina Rinehart is the heiress of Hancock Prospecting.

Daughter of mining magnate Lang Hancock, Rinehart is listed among the richest people in Australia.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Cher Wang.
7. Cher Wang (Rank 20)
Cofounder, Chair, HTC; VIA Technologies
Age: 52

A Taiwanese entrepreneur, Wang is a co-founder and the chairperson of the HTC Corporation and VIA Technologies.

Her husband Wen Chi Chen, is the CEO of VIA Technologies.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney/ABC Television Group.
Photographs: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters.
8. Anne Sweeney (Rank 25)
Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks; President, Disney-ABC Television Group
Age: 53

Prior to her stint at Disney, was chairman and CEO of FX Networks, Inc., since 1993.

During her tenure, she presided over the launch of two basic cable networks, FX, an entertainment network representing the most successful basic cable launch in history, and FXM: Movies from Fox, Hollywood's first studio-based movie network.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Xerox CEO Ursula Burns speaks at a news conference with fellow US executives in Washington.
Photographs: Richard Clement/Reuters.
9. Ursula Burns (Rank 27)
CEO, Xerox
Age: 52

Ursula M Burns serves as chairwoman and CEO of Xerox. She is the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures co-chairperson, attends the premiere of The Smurfs in Ziegfeld Theater.
Photographs: Allison Joyce/Reuters.
10. Amy Pascal (Rank 28)
Co-Chair, Sony Pictures
Age: 53

Amy Pascal was named co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment in September 2006 and has served as chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group since December, 2003.

Pascal, along with Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton, is responsible for overseeing all business lines for the studio, including the motion picture division.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: MD of Westpac Banking Corporation Gail Kelly speaks at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council meet.
Photographs: Larry Downing/Reuters.
11. Gail Kelly (Rank 32)
CEO, Westpac Group
Age: 55

Gail Kelly heads one of Australia's big four banks, Westpac.  In 2002, she became the first female CEO of a major Australian bank. She was appointed as the CEO of Westpac in 2008.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Chan Laiwa.
12. Chan Laiwa & family (Rank 33)
Chair, Fu Wah International Group

Chan Laiwan is a self-made billionaire. She heads Fu Wah International, a well known Hong Kong registered multinational firm.

She is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Active in politics, Chan is also curator and founder of the China Red Sandalwood Museum.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: CEO of Anglo American Cynthia Carroll attends the G20 CEO Summit in Seoul.
Photographs: Aly Song/Reuters.
13. Cynthia Carroll (Rank 35)
CEO, Anglo American
Age: 54

Cynthia Carroll heads the UK mining company, Anglo American Plc.

Carroll joined Anglo American in October 2006. She joined the board in January 2007, becoming chief executive at the beginning of March 2007.

She chairs Anglo American's Executive Committee and sits on the Safety and Sustainable Development Committee. She is one of only three female chief executives of FTSE 100 companies.

.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Carol Bartz.
14. Carol Bartz (37)
CEO, Yahoo! Age: 62

Carol Bartz was appointed as CEO of Yahoo in January 2009. She was earlier the chairwoman, president, and CEO at Autodesk, the world's largest producer of design software.

Bartz has worked at Sun Microsystems, as vice president of worldwide field operations.

She started her career at the manufacturing conglomerate 3M.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz delivers a speech at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Photographs: Gustau Nacarino/Reuters.
15. Ellen Kullman (38)
CEO, Dupont
Age: 55

Ellen Kullman is the president, chair and chief executive officer of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) in Wilmington and a former director of General Motors.

Kullman began her business career at General Electric and joined DuPont in 1988 as marketing manager in the company's medical imaging business.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Jin Sook Chang.
Jin Sook Chang (39)
Cofounder, Chief Merchandising Officer, Forever 21
Age: 48

Jin Sook Chang co-founded Forever 21, an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in the United States and Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East offering fashion and accessories for young women and men.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Safra Catz.
Safra Catz (40)
President, Oracle
Age: 49

Safra A Catz has been the President of Oracle Corporation since January 2004 and a member of the company's Board of Directors since October 2001.

She also served as the company's Chief Financial Officer from November 2005 to September 2008. She has been at Oracle Corporation since April 1999.

Catz has worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, a global investment bank, where she was a Managing Director from 1997.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Wellpoint CEO Angela Braly speaks during the 2010 meeting of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council.
Photographs: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters.
Angela Braly (41)
CEO, Wellpoint
Age: 50

Angela F Braly is president and chief executive officer for WellPoint, Inc, a large US-based health care company, and is a member of the company's board of directors.

Prior to her current position, Braly served as executive vice president, general counsel and chief public affairs officer for WellPoint.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Marissa Mayer, VP, search products and user experience for Google , unveils Google Instant.
Photographs: Robert Galbraith/Reuters.
Marissa Mayer (Rank 42)
VP, Local, Maps & Location Services, Google
Age: 36

Marissa Ann Mayer is vice president of location and local services at the search engine company Google.

She has become one of the public faces of Google, giving media interviews and appearing at events to speak on behalf of the company.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Chanda Kochchar (L), Kiran Mazumdar.
Chanda Kochchar (Rank 43)
CEO, ICICI Bank
Age: 49

Chanda Kochhar is the managing director of ICICI Bank and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Chanda Kochhar joined The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India or ICICI Ltd as a management trainee in 1984.

In her early years in ICICI, she handled project appraisal and monitoring and projects in various industries like petrochemicals, textile, paper and cement.

Besides, Kochchar, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CEO of Biocon is the only other businesswoman from India to be among the world's most powerful women list. Kiran Mazumdar is ranked 99th in the list.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Patricia Woertz.
Patricia Woertz (Rank 45)
CEO, Archer Daniels Midland
Age: 58

Patricia Ann Woertz became CEO of Archer Daniels Midland in 2006.

Formerly, an executive vice president at Chevron Corporation, Woertz left to pursue CEO opportunities.

She first worked for Ernst & Young in Pittsburgh, then moved to Gulf Oil. She later became the President of Chevron International and finally the executive vice president of Chevron's global downstream operations.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Lynn Laverty Elsenhans.
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans (Rank 46)
CEO, Sunoco
Age: 55

Lynn Laverty Elsenhans is chairperson, chief executive officer and president of Sunoco.

Lynn Laverty Elsenhans has served as the company's chairperson since January 2009 and as the chief executive officer and president since August 2008.

She is also the Chairwoman of Sunoco Partners LLC since October 2008. Prior to joining Sunoco, Elsenhans served as the Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing for Shell Downstream Inc.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Zhang Xin.
Zhang Xin and family (Rank 48)
Cofounder, CEO, SOHO China
Age: 46

Zhang Xin is the CEO of SOHO China, the largest real estate developer in Beijing.

Zhang Xin moved to Hong Kong at age of 14 with her mother and had a difficult life.

She worked for five years in small factories to fund her education abroad.

In 1992, she graduated with a Master's Degree in Development Economics from Cambridge University.

She started her career in Barings Plc then moved to Goldman Sachs. She co-founded Hongshi (meaning Red Stone), which became SOHO China, with her husband Pan Shiyi in 1995.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Bonnie Hammer.
Bonnie Hammer (Rank 54)
Chairman, Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios, NBCU
Age: 61

Bonnie Hammer is the Chairperson of NBCU Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios.

An industry leader in network programming and branding, Hammer was earlier the president of NBCU Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios.

Hammer established herself as a programming executive at Lifetime Television in New York.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Katie Jacobs.
Katie Jacobs Stanton (Rank 56)
VP, International Strategy, Twitter
Age: 41

Katie Jacobs Stanton has been the head of international strategy at Twitter July 2010.

In January 2010 she became the special advisor to the Office of Innovation at the US Department of State.

Stanton is a Google veteran. She has also worked as a producer for Yahoo! Finance.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Angela Ahrendts.
Angela Ahrendts (Rank 58)
CEO, Burberry
Age: 51

Angela Ahrendts is the CEO of Burberry, a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories.

Angela Ahrendts joined Burberry in January 2006, and took up the position of CEO on July 1, 2006.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Lubna S Olayan.
Lubna S Olayan (Rank 63)
CEO, Olayan Financing Company
Age: 56

Lubna Suliman Olayan is a Saudi businesswoman. She has also been ranked as one of the most influential businesswomen by Time magazine.

Olayan Financing Company (OFC) is the holding entity for the Olayan Group's operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The Group was founded by her father Sulaiman Olayan in 1947.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Andrea Jung.
Andrea Jung (Rank 64)
CEO, Avon
Age: 53

Andrea Jung, is the chairperson of the board and chief executive officer of Avon Products, Inc since November 1999.

Prior to this, she was president and chief operating officer of all business units of Avon worldwide. She has been on the company's board of directors since 1998.

Jung joined Avon in 1994 as the company's president in its product marketing group.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Sallie Krawcheck, president of Global Wealth and Investment Management for Bank of America.
Photographs: Reuters.
Sallie Krawcheck (67)
President, Global Wealth and Investment Management
Bank of America
Age: 46

Sallie L Krawcheck is president of the Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) division at Bank of America.

The GWIM includes Merrill Lynch and US Trust, the largest wealth management business in the world at $2.3 trillion in client assets.

She has turned around a number of troubled financial businesses in her career.

World's 30 most powerful businesswomen

Image: Abigail Johnson.
Abigail Johnson (Rank 70)
President, Fidelity Investments
Age: 49

Abigail Pierrepont is the president of Fidelity Investments Personal and Workplace Investing.

After a brief stint as a consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton, she joined her father's company, Fidelity Investments, as an equity portfolio manager from 1988 until 1997.

She was promoted to an executive role in Fidelity Management and Research (FMR) in 1997 and has held various senior executive posts inside FMR, Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services and Fidelity Investments.