With only about 15 of the Fortune 500 companies being led by female executives and some 25 percent of all U.S. CEO positions held by women, the members of these small groups receive a high level of scrutiny. But women may end up having the upper hand. As IT Business Edge blogger Don Tennant writes:
Attributes such as caring, nurturing, compassion, vulnerability and transparency, which tend to be manifested in women more inherently than in men … stand to be much more highly valued in the workplace …
How do these powerful women climb the corporate ladder? What skills and strategies have they employed during their careers and as chief executives? And are they actively pursuing mentoring and development opportunities to assist those following in their footsteps? This slideshow highlights nine female executives to keep your eye on.
Click through for nine powerful female executives to keep your eye on.
Irene B. Rosenfeld, who has been the Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods Inc. and its division, Kraft Food Ingredients Corp. since June 2006 and Chairman since March 2007, pulls in a total compensation of $26.3 million annually, reports Bloomberg Businessweek. Rosenfeld says women looking to advance in the workplace need to distinguish themselves from others by thriving in new environments and accepting new challenges, according to FOX Business. She believes mentoring is critical.
Indra Nooyi has been PepsiCo’s Chief Executive Officer since 2006 and Chairman of PepsiCo’s Board of Directors since 2007, reports Forbes. Before becoming CEO, she served as Chief Financial Officer since 2000. Nooyi has criticized corporate leaders for not trying hard enough to increase the number of women in upper management. Pepsi has introduced extensive "inclusion" training for management to help retain minority and female employees. The Wall Street Journal quotes Nooyi as saying, "We [were] not tapping the full potential of women and minorities.''
According to Forbes, Angela Braly has been WellPoint President and Chief Executive Officer and a director since June 2007. Braly’s earnings increased a whopping 51 percent from 2008 in 2009 to total $13.1 million, notes FierceHealthPayer. WellPoint was just recognized in the 2011 NAFE Top 50 Companies and 10 Nonprofits for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). According to this press release:
With 76.7 percent female associates (and approximately a third of female corporate executives), WellPoint continues to build on its reputation as an organization where professional women can lead successful careers and reach the highest levels of management.
Ellen Kullman has been Chief Executive Officer of DuPont since January 2009. She is the first woman to lead a major public U.S. chemical firm. She is also the first woman to lead DuPont in its 206-year history.
Kullman is also the chairwoman of the board for DuPont. IT Business Edge’s Susan Hall wrote last year that “the number of public Silicon Valley companies with at least one woman on their boards has reached a new high of 56 percent.”
According to Forbes, Ursula Burns was named to the position of Chief Executive Officer effective July 1, 2009. She is the first African-American woman named CEO of a major corporation. Employees consider her “open, grounded, and down-to-earth,” according to Toolbox.com. She is also admired for “her deep industry knowledge and technical prowess, as well as her frankness, sharp humor, and willingness to take risks.”
According to her company bio, Patricia Woertz was named CEO and president in April 2006. Bloomberg Businessweek notes that she is the first outside the Andreas family to run ADM since 1970. She thinks of herself as a CEO who happens to be a woman: "I'm fairly certain that Archer Daniels Midland didn't hire me because I'm a woman. I think my background and my performance mean more.”
Carol Bartz has served as Yahoo Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors since January 2009. Before joining Yahoo, she held positions at Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment Corporation and 3M Corporation. While Bartz is well-known for her brash style, Esquire quotes her as saying: “I have a big thing about eye contact and touching. When I'm with you in the moment, I'm with you, not over there.” Editor's Note: In September 2011, Bartz was fired as Yahoo CEO and stepped down from the company's board.
Cher Wang co-founded HTC in 1997. According to Taipei Times, Wang is listed as Taiwan’s richest person on Forbes magazine’s billionaire list this year. Her determination to stay out of the public eye has earned her a reputation as shy and secretive. But according to this article, her warmth is the secret weapon in her management style. She often asks about the people in her company, saying:
How do I see their gift and make them successful? If you talk to them, they feel you like them, and you’re really there for them every day.
Marissa Mayer first joined Google in 1999 as Google’s first female engineer. As VP of Consumer Products, Mayer acts as a gatekeeper for the product release process, deciding when or whether a particular Google product is ready to be released to users. In meetings with subordinates, livemint.com notes that Mayer comes across as very meticulous, reasoning that with so many new recruits, someone has to teach them how Google does things. She refuses to be stereotyped, saying:
I think it’s very comforting for people to put me in a box. ‘Oh, she’s a fluffy girlie girl who likes clothes and cupcakes. Oh, but wait, she is spending her weekends doing hardware electronics.’
