She is smart. She defines power. And mind you, she takes care of business with equal grace and confidence. Meet the wonder women who have earned their respect in the top slots of the corporate ladder. Buzzle brings to you the top 10 famous female executives, listed in the article below. Read on…
I never gave up and I never let anyone or anything get in my way.
– Lillian Vernon
Founder, CEO of The Lillian Vernon Corporation
The economical markets have seen more men dominating the pinnacles of success; but times are changing. Though the number of men still remains larger than women who have attained top executive positions, there is no denying the fact that more women are now achieving greater success as entrepreneurs and leading executives. These women inspire, they make us want to know what it takes to fuel motivation, break the codes, raise the bar, and freeze all the envy that they receive. Yet, all that is managed with grace and the humbleness of a woman.
The corporate leadership picture seems quite promising. Even though there are a total of 8% women at top level positions around the world, there is certainly an increase in this figure. According to Catalyst, a research group for women, the number of women executives at some of the Fortune 500 companies have increased. So, we could expect more women to dominate executive boardrooms in the corporate world.
We have enlisted the top 10 famous female executives that have achieved top level management positions. The list has names included in the Forbes list of most powerful women in business.
Top 10 Famous Female Executives
These women have paved their way through hard work, and achieved significant milestones in their respective roles of business. They truly stand by the words of Margaret Thatcher; – “If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.”
Meg Whitman
President and CEO, Hewlett-Packard (HP)
Meg Whitman is the present CEO of the technology giant, Hewlett-Packard. Born on August 04, 1956, she graduated from Princeton University and the Harvard Business School. She has an extensive work profile which includes, executive positions at Procter and Gamble, Hasbro, DreamWorks, and The Walt Disney Company. She has been the former CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008. Meg Whitman took over as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 2011. Her success mantra is, ‘never shy away from challenges’.
Virginia ‘Ginni’ Rometty
President and CEO, IBM
Virginia Ginni Rometty is the President, Chairwoman, and CEO of IBM. She completed her education in Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science. She joined IBM and served as a systems engineer in 1981. She worked her way to success, and in 2009, she became the senior Vice President and Group Executive for sales, marketing, and strategy. In 2012, IBM declared her to be the President and CEO, making her the first woman executive of her rank in the company. Ginni Rometty earned her name in the Forbes list of 50 most powerful women and held her ground there for 8 consecutive years! She ranked 1st in the Forbes list in the year 2012. Her success mantra perhaps reflects in one of her quotes – “If you’re clear on what you believe, you have a great foundation to go make a market.”
Patricia A. Woertz
CEO, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)
Patricia A. Woertz runs the worlds largest public company, the Archer Daniels Midland Company. Born in 1953, she graduated from Penn State University. Before taking over as the CEO of ADM, she worked with Ernst & Young and then with Gulf Oil Corporation, from 1977 to 1987. She led the international operations and a global workforce of Chevron Canada and, later, Chevron International Oil Company, as President. In 2001 she became the Executive Vice President of Chevron. In 2006, she was appointed the CEO and President of Archer Daniels Midland Company. She has her goals set high, which has made way for financial gains for ADM. Another quality of Mrs. Woertz is that, she believes in a balanced work and personal life. Managing a top level position in an industry that is male-dominated, along with raising three children; she truly stands as an inspiration for all women.
Indra Nooyi
Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
Indra K. Nooyi is the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. Born in 1955, in India, she completed her early education in her hometown, Chennai. She graduated in physics, maths, and chemistry in 1974, from Madras Christian College. She then completed her MBA from Calcutta University. She started her career in India with Johnson & Johnson, following which, she completed her Masters in Public and Private Management, from Yale school of Management. Indra Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994. She became President and CFO in 2001, and worked her way to success and was appointed CEO in 2007. Since then, PepsiCo has seen a consistent rise in revenue. Her hard work and global strategy has made PepsiCo one of the largest International companies. A remarkable achievement of Indra Nooyi is that, the market value of PepsiCo has surpassed Coca-Cola, for the first time in 112 years!
Marillyn A. Hewson
President and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Marillyn Hewson is the President and CEO of Lockheed Martin. Born in 1954, she completed her education at the University of Alabama, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and her Master of Arts degree in Economics. She also completed executive development programs from Harvard. In 1982, she joined Lockheed Martin, and successfully managed various operational leadership positions. She was elected to the board of directors in 2012, and since January, 2013, she is the CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Ellen Kullman
Chairman and CEO, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Ellen Kullman is the Ceo of DuPont, the third-largest chemical company in U.S.A. Born in 1956, she completed her Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tufts University. She also completed her Masters in Management from Northwestern University in 1983. She joined DuPont as Marketing Manager in 1988. She worked her way to success while handling many businesses. She became the Vice President and General Manager in 1995, while handling White Pigment & Mineral Products. She was appointed the President in 2008, and took over as the CEO in January 2009. Even with the company’s strong history of 200 years, Ellen Kullman has revolutionized the focus of DuPont from oil-based chemicals to green products. She has successfully earned her way to becoming the first ever woman CEO in the history of DuPont.
Irene Rosenfeld
Chairman and CEO, Mondelēz International
Irene Rosenfeld is the CEO of the second-largest food company in the world, Kraft Foods’ Mondelēz International. Born in 1953, she completed her education from Cornell University. She holds a Master of Science in Business, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Marketing and Statistics. She started her career in the food industry with General foods. She was elected the President and CEO of Frito-Lay in 2004. She was later appointed the CEO of Kraft Foods in 2006. Under her strong leadership skills, Kraft Foods has revived itself to a larger picture of success and growth in the food industry.
Carol M. Meyrowitz
President and CEO, The TJX Companies
Carol Meyrowitz is the CEO of the TJX Companies. Born in 1954, she completed her Bachelor of Arts/Science from Rider University. From 1987 to 2001, she has worked at top level positions at Marmaxx and Chadwicks. In 2004, she was appointed Senior Executive Vice President of TJX. She took over as the CEO of TJX in 2007. Since then, she has developed many retail brands for the company. Carol Meyrowitz is, however, known for a remarkable development worldwide, which is, providing shoppers with lost-cost options.
Ursula M Burns
Madam Chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation
Ursula Burns graduated from NYU, with a science degree in Mechanical Engineering. She started her career at Xerox, as a mechanical engineering intern in 1980. From 1992 to 2000, she has worked at high management positions at Xerox. She was appointed Senior Vice President in 2000. She helped the company rise, with new research, products, and technologies. A remarkable achievement of Ursula has been the hard work and dedication she showed in saving the company from filing for bankruptcy in 2001. She has earned top level positions by working hard and making Xerox bask in profits and sustainability. In 2009, she was appointed the CEO.
Denise Morrison
President and CEO, Campbell Soup Co.
Denise Morrison is the CEO of one of the biggest global names in manufacturing and marketing food products—Campbell Soup Co. Born in 1954, she graduated from Boston college with a B.S. degree in economics and psychology. She began her career with Procter and Gamble, followed by PepsiCo. She started her success journey with Nestle and Nabiso, where she was appointed at senior positions in sales and marketing. She started her career in Campbell Soup and Co. in 2003, as the President of global sales and Chief Customer Officer. She was appointed CEO in 2011.
These women have been the source of inspiration and pride for not only all those women who want to build businesses, but also for the average woman, all over the world. Their ideals and strategies have stormed the economical market with new profits and perspectives. We hope to see more names in the top slots of the global economic markets. Well, we like to call them women with power—down to earth but still above all!