Wonder Women –5 Leading Ladies in the Business World

In recent times, we have seen a lot happening with women. Whether or not its in business, women are being encouraged to do more now more than ever before. Even though we have seen a lot of stories about the problems and excesses women have to deal with, a lot of women are standing up to face these challenges head on. These women are not only defeating these obstacles but are also, whether directly or not, encouraging other women to follow in their footsteps. So, in no particular order, here are 5 of the leading ladies in the business world today.

Indra Nooyi – President and CEO, PepsiCo

Even though she will be stepping down very soon, Indra has been the President andCEO of PepsiCo since 2006. Indra grew up in India where she used to be a guitarist in a rock band and has said that she never envisioned doing something as impactful as leading such a large company. Her 12-year position as the head of the multinational organisation is regarded by many as very positive and successful. Reports show that under her leadership, PepsiCo increased revenue by about 80%. It may also be important to note that Indra has plans to release snacks designed specifically for women. These products will be made to cater directly to women’s preferences.

Ursula Burns – Chairman, VEON

Ursula, in 2009 became the first black female CEO to head a Fortune 500 company when she became the CEO of Xerox. Currently, she is the chairman of VEON, a multinational telecommunication services company headquartered in Amsterdam,Netherlands. Ursula also serves as a director in Diageo, Uber Technologies,American Express Corporation and the Exxon Mobil Corporation. In the same year she became the CEO of Xerox, former US. President Barack Obama, appointed Ursula to lead the White HouseSTEM program which is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education program. Ursula has been described as an inspiration to many black women around the world.

Mary Barra – Chairman and CEO, General Motors

Maryis the first female CEO of a major automaker and has held the position sinceJanuary 15, 2014. The 56 year old CEO has worked at General Motors since she was 18. In the first year as CEO, General Motors had to recall more than 30million cars because of certain faults which resulted in deaths in some cases.Despite all that, Mary persevered and managed to increase General Motors’ stock and revenue making her one of the most successful CEOs the company has had.Mary also currently serves on the board of Walt Disney Co.

Angela Ahrendts – Senior Vice President, Apple Inc.

Onceranked as the 25^th most powerful woman in the world and the 9^th most powerful woman in the UK, Angela is another very important name in the business world. Currently the Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple Inc.,Angela was the CEO of Burberry for 8 years from 2006 till 2014 when she leftBurberry to join Apple. She is known for most of the technological improvements currently applicable at Burberry and did so well that in 2013, she became the highest paid CEO in all of the U.K. She is currently the highest paid employe eat Apple, earning way more than the CEO, Tim Cook.

Sue Naegle – Head, Annapurna Television

In2008, Sue became the president of HBO Entertainment until she left in 2013. She is one of the brains behind many widely acclaimed television shows including The Bernie Mac Show. While at HBO, she oversaw the development of quite a few shows. One of them was the very popular Game of Thrones that continued to pull in staggering numbers long after she left HBO. The series has received 38Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and three Hugo Awards. A lot of the success of the show has been credited to Sue because it is reported that she pushed for a high budget and spared no expense. This is probably the reason why despite the fact that the series has taken a break which will last over a year,Game of Thrones is still currently one of the most popular shoes this year.

There are quite a lot more women in business who are making amazing contributions and noticeable strides. These are just a few. There are predictions that in the future, more and more women will become more powerful than they ever were and go on to lead many Fortune 500 companies.