Although rarely mentioned, women also do business and they are successful too. They have made their names in business through hard work and dedication. These women occupy top positions in their respective companies, such as president, CEO or COO. They all have a charismatic personality and appeal which come into play when they finalize important deals. Find here some of the most influential women in business.
1. Sheryl Sandberg
Ever wondered why Facebook is such a successful social network? It is due to the excellent work delivered by its employees, especially its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Sheryl Sandberg. Under Sandberg in 2016, Facebook’s ad revenue growth and stock price soared to new heights. Born in Washington D.C., she is also a technology executive, author and activist. Sheryl Sandberg is also the founder of Leanin.org, a global community to empower women and help them realize their ambitions.
She also worked at the US Treasury Department under Clinton’s administration until 2001 when she joined Google as Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations. Fast forward to 2008, she joined Facebook as COO. Her net worth is of $1.84 billion as per Forbes!
2. Ginni Rometty
Discover a multi-faceted businesswoman, Ginni Rometty! She is the first woman to head IBM. She was born in Chicago in 1957. A scholarship winner at the North-western University and an engineer from the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, her career began at the General Motors Institute and in 1981, when she joined IBM as Systems Engineer.
With her professionalism and hard work, she moved to IBM’s Consulting Group in 1991. She was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President and Group Executive for Sales, Marketing and Strategy in 2009. Her career continued to evolve as she was selected as IBM’s CEO in 2011. That’s not all! She was promoted to the role of Chairman in September 2012. Finally, she was selected as Chairman, President and CEO of IBM in October 2012, establishing her as one of the most powerful and multi-talented businesswomen.
3. Safra Catz
Meet Safra Catz, Co-CEO at Oracle! She is an Israeli American businesswoman born in 1961. In 1983, she graduated from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and earned a Joint Degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1986. Her career started as a banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in 1986, where she became the Senior Vice President and Managing Director from 1994 to 1997 and 1997 to 1999, respectively.
At the age of 54 in 1999, Catz joined Oracle as Senior Vice President and became a member of its Board of Directors in October 2001. Her career soared to new heights as she occupied different roles within the company. She was President of Oracle Corporation in 2004 and headed the company’s acquisition of PeopleSoft in a $10.3 billion takeover. As from 2011 to the present day, she is CEO and CFO at Oracle. However, her business acumen is not limited to Oracle! During her free time, she supervises a $3.5 billion investment in STEM initiatives.
4. Marry Barra
For consecutive three years, Marry Barra tops as the most influential businesswoman. This 57 years old woman is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company. An electrical engineer from the General Motors Institute, now known as Kettering University, she started working at General Motors when she was only 18 years old. In 2008, she became the Vice President of Global Manufacturing Engineering and in February 2011 she was titled as the Executive Vice President of Global Product Development. In August 2013, she was given additional responsibility of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.In the year 2014, she became the Chief Executive of General Motors as the first-ever female to head an automobile manufacturer.
Her CEOship in the first year brought a lot of hardships and she was called at the Senate to for safety recalls of over 30 million cars. Barra handled all that with patience and created a whole new environment for General Motors, transforming the automobile industry with driverless technology and a healthier planet through zero emissions. Currently, she is one of the highest paid Detroit Three executive, with a salary of $21.96 million.
5. Abigail Johnson
Johnson is an American Businesswoman who became the President and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity investments in 2014, a family owned business with 45,000 employees around the world. Johnson is a graduate from the Harvard Business School and joined her family business as an analyst and portfolio manager. With her hard work, she was subsequently promoted to different positions, given responsibilities and in the year 2012, she was given the presidency.
Johnson currently has 25% stakes of her grandfather’s firm and a net worth of $16.5 billion, which makes her one of the world’s wealthiest woman. She is also the member of Committee on Capital Markets Regulation and board of director Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and the only woman board member of Financial Services Forum
Such influential women are often behind the success of big companies due to their professionalism and charisma. You can also learn more about many big businesses started by women! These are only a few of them. There are yet many others who are equally successful, even if their names are rarely mentioned.
Do you need help being successful and need writing help? Check out the SPWritingTeam for great assistance!