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The 50 Women to Watch 2008

source: The Wall Street Journal

全球最值得關注的50位商界女性

註: 本文僅節錄5位供大家參考,詳情請見華爾街日報。

Related article: Women Gain in Education but Not Power, Study Finds ;


In her concession speech in June, Hillary Clinton lamented that she wasn't able to "shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling," but she said it now has "about 18 million cracks in it."

Indeed, women played a defining role in this year's historic election, whether as candidates, spouses or comedians.


But in the corporate world, the notion of "18 million cracks" remains something of a pipe dream. While women have made great strides professionally in the past two decades, their numbers in the upper echelons of corporate America have stagnated in the past few years.


According to a survey by Catalyst, a New York research group, women hold 15.4% of Fortune 500 corporate-officer jobs -- positions of vice president or higher that require board approval. That number has inched down from 16.4% in 2005.

One bright spot: More women are in charge of powerful board committees, such as nominating and governance committee chairs. That in turn could mean more women being appointed to key positions down the road.


Confronted this year by high commodity prices, a downturn in U.S. beverage sales, and other consequences of the souring economy, Indra Nooyi didn't shy from some bold steps. PepsiCo Inc.'s chairman and chief executive launched an aggressive belt-tightening program this fall to generate more than $1.2 billion in savings over the next three years.

Ms. Nooyi, 53 years old, says the tough measures -- including the elimination of 3,300 jobs and the closing of some plants -- were necessary to put PepsiCo ahead of the curve in a fast-changing economic environment. She has been pushing the Purchase, N.Y., company in new directions since arriving 14 years ago as head of corporate strategy. Her drive to get Pepsi to buy Tropicana and Quaker Oats helped shift the company's soda- and-potato-chip-dominated portfolio toward healthier drinks and snacks.

Most of the savings from cost-cutting will be plowed into expanding in fast-growing emerging markets, the U.S. beverage business, and accelerating development of new beverages and snacks. Ms. Nooyi is convinced she can bring U.S. consumers back to soda, partly by finding a new zero-calorie sweetener. "People still love bubbles," she says.

Visiting her native India in September, Ms. Nooyi announced a three-year, $500 million investment to expand manufacturing, improve research and development and introduce new products. On a visit to China a few weeks ago, she pledged to spend $1 billion over four years on similar initiatives there. Growth in emerging markets is cooling but still "robust," she says. Ms. Nooyi is also pushing for foods and drinks that offer more health benefits. An endocrinologist and internal-medicine specialist whom she tapped as the company's chief scientific officer will head a new nutrition lab.


She is hardly a household name. But Hu Xiaolian, the deputy governor of the People's Bank of China as well as the administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, is one of the most powerful people in the world. In particular, Ms. Hu's role as manager of China's massive foreign-exchange reserves -- the world's largest, on track to surpass $2 trillion soon -- is especially pivotal now as the global financial crisis unfolds. China is believed to be the largest holder of U.S. Treasury debt, and its continued purchases of new Treasury bonds will be crucial to helping the U.S. finance the rescue of the financial system.

While there has been some grumbling within China about the low returns on the investment, many observers don't expect the reserves to be pulled out of the U.S. on a large scale. Though an estimated 44% of women in China work, few hold positions in the highest ranks of government. Ms. Hu, 50, has been immersed in currency and financial-system policy in China since graduating from the People's Bank of China graduate school in the 1980s. In addition, her mentor, Liu Hongru, is credited with helping to create China's stock market.

The holdings of China's foreign-exchange reserves are top secret. But Ms. Hu is playing an increasingly visible role in international-finance circles as China's influence grows in the global economy. In a recent speech in Argentina, she urged nations to work more closely together, while acknowledging that China faces great economic challenges due to the global financial crisis. "With the deepening of economic globalization [and] increased spillover of financial risks, all countries will face increasing challenges in terms of macroeconomic policy making, especially in the area of monetary policy, so we need further coordination," said Ms. Hu.


In the past year, Internet executive Sheryl Sandberg has become a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Ms. Sandberg recently left her job running Google Inc.'s online sales channels to become chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., a closely held social-networking Web site based in Palo Alto, Calif. The company, which allows people to create personal profiles to share information about themselves with others on its site, is widely regarded as one of Silicon Valley's best Internet candidates for an initial public offering somewhere down the line.

One of the first things Ms. Sandberg has had to manage at Facebook is an age gap. At 39, Ms. Sandberg is older than many of Facebook's employees, including the company's 24-year-old chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg. Mr. Zuckerberg founded the company while a student at Harvard, Ms. Sandberg's alma mater as well.

But her colleagues say Ms. Sandberg, who once served as a chief of staff for the U.S. Treasury Department, is off to a strong start assembling and managing the team that will take the 700-person company from a hot start-up to a profitable business.

Under Ms. Sandberg's watch so far, Facebook has announced plans to open a new international headquarters in Ireland, and implemented a number of new management procedures, such as employee reviews.

High on Ms. Sandberg's agenda is also coming up with a new advertising model for the site that can lure dollars away from competitors like Google and Yahoo Inc. But she faces hurdles, such as a turbulent economy and fierce competition for online advertising dollars from other start-ups and rivals.

Ms. Sandberg says she's patient. "Ads are an iterative game," she said in a recent interview.


Romi Haan quit a secure job at a government agency to start her own company nine years ago. The move is so rare in South Korea that one prospective lender asked if she was fronting a business for her husband. Today, Haan Corp. is another rarity in South Korea: a company that went from start-up to midsize in an industry dominated by giant conglomerates like Samsung and LG. Haan makes home-cleaning appliances and, last year, started operations in the U.S.

Ms. Haan, 44 years old, designed her company's original steam cleaner herself. "It was so tiring to wipe the floor," she says. Her initial plan was ambitious: to develop a steam mop in six months with 50 million to 60 million won, or about $40,000. She wound up spending nearly 10 times that much before shipping her first product in 2001. It failed.

Nearly three years later, a steam cleaner priced at about $80 became a hit product on home shopping channels in South Korea. Orders from retailers followed and Haan began turning profits. "After five years, in November 2004, I finally could pay salaries and bills on time," Ms. Haan says. Last year, revenue hit 120 billion won, or about $90 million.

The company has since added more steam-based appliances, including garment irons. "I personally think Korean customers, particularly housewives, are very picky," she says. "They can't stand a little inconvenience, and their complaints are actually very helpful." Ms. Haan is a celebrity in South Korea, where she is one of the few women to have become rich without inheriting wealth, making it big in show business or succeeding in golf.

"I try hard to make the business environment better for women entrepreneurs," she says. Last year, Ms. Haan established a U.S. subsidiary. "If I succeed in the U.S. market, I think I can go anywhere," she says.


Oracle Corp. President Safra Catz has a challenge on her hands: keeping the software company's winning streak going.

In early 2005, Oracle pledged to deliver at least 20% earnings growth for five straight years. The world's largest business-software maker has so far made good on its promise. But as the economy slumps and businesses cut the amount they spend on technology, continuing that performance will become tougher.

Leading the effort will be the 46-year-old Ms. Catz. While Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison is the face of the company, Ms. Catz oversees day-to-day operations. She has led the Redwood Shores, Calif., company through close to 50 acquisitions over the past several years, including 10 in 2008. She also served as chief financial officer from 2005 until September.

Because of her breadth of experience at Oracle, Ms. Catz is uniquely positioned to recognize where the company can make cuts and gain economies of scale in order to maintain its profit margin. "She knows where all the bodies are buried at Oracle," says Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities Inc.

At a recent event for Wall Street analysts, it was up to Ms. Catz to reassure the audience that Oracle would weather an economic slowdown. She explained that Oracle's business model has it well-positioned to keep profits up even if new sales falter. That's because the company's fees from annual software updates and support -- which are independent of new sales -- account for almost half of the company's revenue.

Ms. Catz joined Oracle in 1999 as senior vice president. In 2004, she became one of two co-presidents; the other is Charles Phillips. She is on the company's board and in May joined the board of HSBC Holdings PLC.