20 Women Leaders In Business To Look Up To
The business world may seem like an intimidating place and could discourage a lot of young people from wanting to work in that environment. However, a lot of the time top business leaders can be a great source of inspiration and can even encourage students and graduates to work in the field. We want to tell you about 20 incredible women leaders in business that you should look up to for their hard work, determination, and expertise.
1. Sheryl Sandberg
Alongside being an important executive of Facebook, Sandberg is also an activist and a writer. A talented Harvard graduate, she has become the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board of directors.
2. Irene Rosenfeld
The CEO of a major American food and confectionary company, Rosenfeld began her career at an advertising agency and later worked her way up to the top of her current industry.
3. Ursula Burns
Burns is a highly influential American business executive who works as a member of the board of directors for a number of different companies. Her leadership and commitment has led her to be the first black woman to head a Fortune 500 company. She is most definitely one of the most influential women leaders in business!
4. Maria das Graças Foster
Foster is a Brazilian business executive and the first woman in the world to head a large oil and gas company. She is also a chemical engineer, which has given her the knowledge required to dominate the industry.
5. Marissa Mayer
Mayer is the former president and CEO of Yahoo! and a long-time key spokesperson for Google. Her knowledge and understanding of the industry, coupled with her leadership skills, has allowed her to retire at the age of 42!
6. Anne Sweeney
Sweeney has spent all of her life working in the entertainment industry – first as the co-chair of Disney Media, and later as the president of Disney Chanel. She has now decided to focus on working as a television director.
7. Angela Braly
A graduate of Texas Tech University, Braly has worked as the president and Ceo of a major American health care company. She is currently a member of the ExxonMobil board of directors.
8. Susan Wojcicki
Wojcicki is the current CEO of YouTube and an inspiring figure in the technology industry. A Harvard graduate and Google’s first marketing engineer, she has built up her career from the very bottom to achieve incredible success.
9. Arianna Huffington
As you might have guessed, Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chif of The Huffington Post. The incredible media empire that she has managed to create is indicative of her talent and leadership skills. She is definitely a businesswoman to look up to!
10. Diane Von Furstenberg
The leader of a large fashion company that is available in over 70 countries, Von Furstenberg is a successful fashion designed and businesswoman. She is known for her invention of the wrap dress, which has since become an important fashion icon.
11. Amy Pascal
An American film producer and business executive, Pascal used to serve as the Chairperson for the Sony Entertainment Group. She has overseen and supervised the production of multiple films and tv programmes. Her own company, Pascal Pictures, has released the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters. She is definitely one of the most beloved women leaders in business!
12. Sheri McCoy
McCoy is an American business executive who has worked as the CEO for Avon, one of the largest cosmetics companies in the United States. She is also a scientist, which has helped her to achieve success in the makeup industry.
13. Laura Lang
The former CEO of Time Inc., Lang is also an activist and philanthropist. Her incredible work has attracted the attention of multiple media outlets – Advertising Age has even named her as one of its Women to Watch.
14. Angela Ahrendts
Ahrendts is a successful American businesswoman and is currently the Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple. Her expertise and knowledge has enabled her to develop her career. She is also the ex-CEO of Burberry, which she left in 2014.
15. Sue Naegle
The former President of HBO, Naegle is currently working on her own independent company. In 2012, Forbes Magazine has named her the 46th most powerful woman in the world.
16. Safra Catz
This American businesswoman is the perfect success story. Having started working at Oracle in the 1990s, she has worked her way up to the very top! In 2014 she was named as the company’s new CEO alongside another executive.
17. Abigail Johnson
The CEO of the American investment firm Fidelity Investments, Johnson is a highly successful female business leader. She is also one of the richest women in the world with a net worth of around $16.5 billion! Definitely one of the most notable women leaders in business!
18. Phebe Novakovic
An American business woman of Serbian origin, Novakovic is currently the CEO of General Dynamics, which is a major aerospace and defence company. In 2014, Forbes named her the 56th most powerful woman in the world.
19. Ruth Porat
Porat has had an incredibly inspiring career! She was the Chief Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley for 5 years and then moved on to work at Alphabet Inc., where she is now also the CFO.
20. Ellen Kullman
Ranked as the 31st most powerful woman by Forbes in 2014, Kullman has built her career across two major global companies. She is a former director of General Motors and the ex-CEO of DuPont. Currently a board member for a number of different companies, she a great success story that lots of young people could look up to.
Do you find these women leaders in business inspiring? Which women in business do you look up to? Let us know below!
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