Photographs: Mike Segar/Reuters
Indra Nooyi
Chairman and CEO, Pepsi Co
Pepsi Co's 56-year-old Indian-origin CEO Indra Nooyi is terming as the 'superstar CEO'. Forbes said Nooyi last year returned $5.6 billion to shareholders, when PepsiCo net revenue grew 14 per cent to $66 billion.
Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994 and was named president and CFO in 2001. Nooyi has directed the company's global strategy for more than a decade.
She took the lead in the acquisition of Tropicana in 1998, and merger with Quaker Oats Company, which also brought Gatorade to PepsiCo. In 2007 she became the fifth CEO in PepsiCo's 44-year history.
According to Forbes, she is consistently ranked among World's 100 Most Powerful Women.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters
Chanda Kochhar
MD and CEO, ICICI Bank
Chanda Kochhar, 50, the first woman to run ICICI Bank, oversees assets of $93 billion, more than 2,750 branches in India and the bank's presence in 19 countries.
Kocchar joined ICICI in 1984 straight out of business school and is credited with building the bank's retail arm from scratch. In 2009, she became its youngest CEO at age 47.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Jagadeesh NV/Reuters
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Chairman and managing director, Biocon Limited
In 1978, she joined Biocon Biochemicals Limited, of Cork, Ireland as a Trainee Manager.
In the same year, at the age of 25, she started Biocon in the garage of her rented house in Bangalore with a seed capital of Rs. 10,000.
Since then Biocon has become only the second Indian firm to list a one billion dollar IPO on its first day of trading and is currently the country's 11th largest pharmaceutical company with a market capitalisation of $66.8 billion.
Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
On Wednesday, Forbes published its 2012 annual list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women.
The list includes political leaders, corporate executives, NGO heads, top government functionaries and a first lady. Here, we present you the world's top 30 businesswomen.
Melinda Gates
Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Melinda French Gates is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a former unit manager for several Microsoft products such as Publisher, Microsoft Bob, Encarta, and Expedia.
Gates earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics from Duke University in 1986 and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1987.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters
Christine Lagarde
Managing director, International Monetary Fund
Christine Lagarde is a French lawyer and Union for a Popular Movement politician who has been the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since 5 July 2011.
She is the first woman to run the IMF.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Mike Segar/Reuters
Sheryl Sandberg
Chief operating officer, Facebook
Sheryl Sandberg is an American businesswoman. She has served as the chief operating officer of Facebook since 2008.
In June 2012, she was also elected to the board of directors by the existing board members, becoming the first woman to serve on its board. Before Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Jacky Naegelen/Reuters
Irene Rosenfeld
Chairman and CEO, Kraft Foods
Irene Rosenfeld has been working in the food and beverage industry for about 30 years.
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. Rosenfeld was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods in June 2006.
Irene topped the 'Top 50 Women in Global Business' list of 'The Financial Times' and 'Fortune' recently ranked her as number 1 among the 'Top 50 Women in Global Business' and '50 Most Powerful Women in Business' lists, respectively.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Reuters
Virginia Rometty
President and CEO, IBM
Virginia Rometty is the first woman to head IBM. She began her career with IBM in 1981 in Detroit, Michigan.
Prior to becoming president and CEO in January 2012 she held the position of senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing, and strategy at IBM.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Steve Marcus/Reuters
Ursula Burns
Chairman and CEO, Xerox
Ursula is the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. In 2009, Forbes rated her as 14th most powerful woman in the world.
Burns joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern. And, in Jul7y 2009, Burns was named chief executive officer.
Shortly after, the company made the largest acquisitions in Xerox history, the $6.4 billion purchase of Affiliated Computer Services, catapulting the company's presence in the $500 billion business services market and extending the company's reach into diverse areas of business process and IT outsourcing.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: David McNew/Reuters
Meg Whitman
CEO, Hewlett-Packard
A native of Long Island, New York, Meg Whitman is a graduate from Princeton University and Harvard Business School.
In the past, Whitman served as an executive in The Walt Disney Company where she was vice president of strategic planning throughout the 1980s. In the 1990s, she served as an executive for DreamWorks, Procter & Gamble, and Hasbro.
Whitman also served as president and chief executive officer of eBay from 1998 to 2008. During her ten years with the company, she oversaw expansion from 30 employees and $4 million in annual revenue to more than 15,000 employees and $8 billion in annual revenue.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters
Maria das Gracas Silva Foster
CEO, Petroleo Brasileiro
During Maria das Gracas Silva Foster's 30 plus years with the company she has kept close ties with its natural gas unit, most recently serving as the chief of that business. She joined the company as a chemical engineer in 1981.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Robert Galbraith/Reuters
Marissa Mayer
CEO, Yahoo
Marissa Mayer is the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Prior to joining Yahoo, she was a long-time executive and key spokesperson for Google.
Mayer joined Google in 1999 as employee number 20 and was the company's first female engineer. During her 13 years with the company, she was an engineer, designer, product manager, and executive.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Anne Sweeney
Co-Chair Disney Media Networks and President, Disney/ABC Television Group, Walt Disney
Anne Sweeney oversees ABC Studios, the ABC Television Network and Disney Channels Worldwide, a sprawling portfolio of over 100 channels that reach 600 million viewers in 169 countries.
According to Forbes, she's steadily increased revenues and operating income in her division, which jumped 9 per cent and 20 per cent respectively in 2011.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Angela Braly
CEO, WellPoint
Angela Braly is the 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.
She assumed those responsibilities on June 1, 2007, following several high-profile roles for the company.
In addition to her role as chair of WellPoint, the Texas-raised lawyer also sits on the boards of Procter & Gamble, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the National Institute for Health Care Management, as quoted in Forbes.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Charles Platiau/Reuters
Arianna Huffington
Co-founder, The Huffington post
Arianna Huffington is best known for her news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s.
In 2003, she ran as an independent candidate for Governor in the California recall election.
In 2009, Huffington was named as number 12 in Forbes' first-ever list of the Most Influential Women In Media.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Courtesy, Youtube snapshot
Georgina Rinehart
Executive Chairman, Hancock Prospecting
Georgina Rinehart is an Australian mining tycoon. She is the heiress of Hancock Prospecting and the daughter of the late Lang Hancock and Hope Margaret Nicholas.
In the 2010s, Rinehart bought a stake in media organisations, becoming the largest shareholder in Fairfax Media and taking a significant share in the Ten Network Holdings.
In 2011, both Forbes Asia and Business Review Weekly reported that Rinehart was Australia's wealthiest person.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Fred Prouser/Reuters
Amy Pascal
Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment
As is co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal oversees all development, production and marketing activities at Columbia Pictures.
In 2001, she was awarded the Crystal Award by Women in Film for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.
She was listed as number one on the 15th annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 list published in 2006 by the Hollywood Reporter.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Courtesy, Forbes
Sheri McCoy
CEO, Avon Products
According to Forbes, Sheri McCoy is lauded for her strategic skills and turnaround experience. She spent 30 years at J&J, beginning as a scientist and eventually climbing to a vice chairman role, where she oversaw 60 per cent of its $65 billion in revenues.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Mike Cassese/Reuters
Mary Barra
Senior vice president, General Motors
Mary Barra is responsible for the design, engineering, program management and quality for GM's vehicles around the world.
Prior to this appointment, Barra had most recently been Vice President, Global Human Resources since July 30, 2009.
She has also served as GM vice president, Global Manufacturing Engineering; Plant Manager, Detroit Hamtramck Assembly; Executive Director of Competitive Operations Engineering, and several other engineering and staff positions.
Barra began her career with General Motors in 1980 as a General Motors Institute (Kettering University) co-op student at the Pontiac Motor Division.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Zhang Xin
CEO, Soho China Ltd
Zhang Xin is a Chinese businesswoman. Presently, she is the CEO of SOHO China, the largest commercial real estate developer in Beijing.
Prior to founding Soho China, Zhang worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Travelers Group.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Courtesy, Forbes
Laura Lang
CEO of Time Inc
Time Inc chief executive Laura Lang is a businesswoman leading a company of journalists. According to Forbes, as Time Inc's first CEO from outside the industry, she has guided the company's focus to the evolving digital market.
Lang made her first major deal at Time Inc with Apple, when she led the company in making 20 Time Inc. magazines available through Apple's Newsstand app.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Reuters
Angela Ahrendts
Chief executive officer, Burberry Group
Angela Ahrendts joined Burberry in January 2006, and took over as the CEO on July 1, 2006.
Prior to joining Burberry Angela was executive vice president at Liz Claiborne Inc., where she joined the executive team in 1998.
During her tenure, she oversaw the Contemporary, Casual, Bridge and Menswear businesses, comprising more than twenty brands and representing 40 per cent of total company revenues. She previously spent six years as President of Donna Karan International.
Burberry, which is headquartered in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange, was founded in 1856.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Courtesy, Wikimedia Commons
Safra Catz
President, Oracle
Safra Catz has been a President of Oracle Corporation since January 2004. She also served as the company's chief financial officer for three years.
She has been at Oracle Corporation since April 1999. She became a non-executive Director of HSBC Group in May 2008.
In 2009 she was ranked by Fortune as the 12th most powerful woman in business. She was also ranked by Forbes as the 16th most powerful woman.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Larry Downing/Reuters
Laurene Powell Jobs
Founder and Chair, Emerson Collective
Laurene Powell Jobs is an American business executive, and widow of Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc.
She became the richest woman in Silicon Valley this year with an estimated net worth of $9 billion, according to Forbes.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Reuters
Rosalind Brewer
Club President and CEO, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart Stores
In January 2012, Rosalind Brewer was appointed president and chief of Sam's Club, making history as the first woman and first African American ever to become CEO of a Wal-Mart business unit, according to Forbes.
Brewer previously worked as the president of Wal-Mart's U.S. East business division, where she was responsible for twice the revenue and locations and was considered a rising star.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Chip East/Reuters
Helene D Gayle
President and CEO, CARE
Helene D Gayle is currently president and CEO of CARE USA, a member of CARE International (a leading humanitarian aid organization fighting global poverty).
Before joining CARE USA in 2006, Dr Gayle directed the HIV, TB, and Reproductive Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and spent 20 years at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), focusing primarily on HIV/AIDS.
Dr Gayle also served as chair of the Obama administration's Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Courtesy, lne.es
Rosalia Mera
Group president - Zara and Inditex
Rosalia Mera is one of the richest people in the world. She began designing gowns and lingerie in her home with her then-husband, Amancio Ortega Gaona.
The couple parlayed their work into a multi-billion-dollar corporation, Inditex, and the Zara line of clothing stores. Despite her divorce from Ortega, Mera retains a 7 per cent stake in the company.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Aly Song/Reuters
Cynthia Carroll
CEO, Anglo American
In 2007, Carroll became the first woman to lead Anglo, the world's fourth largest mining company, making her one of the most influential women in the industry.
In 2008, she was ranked by the magazine Forbes as the fifth most powerful woman in the world. She was ranked fourth by the same list in 2009.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Courtesy, Wikimedia Commons
Cher Wang
Chairwoman, HTC Corp
Cher Wang is a co-founder and the chairperson of the HTC Corporation and VIA Technologies. Her father was Wang Yung-ching, who was one of the richest individuals in Taiwan.
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Three Indian biz women among the world's most powerful
Photographs: Brian Snyder/Reuters
Abigail Johnson
President, Fidelity Investments Personal and Workplace Investing
After a brief stint as a consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton from 1985-86, Abigail Johnson 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 since then.
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