Women at the Head of Multinational Companies
The status of a businesswoman 50 years ago would have been considered an ambitious statement at best, but as time went on, women’s steps in the development of the economy became clearer. The desire to free oneself from social constraints, financial independence, or just one’s own business has gradually established women at the forefront of the business. The ideas that women have turned into business have made a name for themselves locally and internationally, as evidenced by the high demand for the products created by these women.
According to the world-renowned business magazine The CEO magazine, today behind the internationally recognized brands are mostly women who at different times, at different ages began to take the first steps in this direction and, despite many obstacles, created their own empires as a result of hard work. The online scientific publication Stacker writes about the female CEOs who occupy an honorable place in the list of the 500 largest American companies “Fortune 500”.
Perhaps it would not be surprising if we start talking about successful women in the world with the example of the woman who heads the well-known video site YouTube. Susan Wojcicki started her business at a very young age – when she was only 11 years old. When she went door-to-door in Palo Alto, California, selling ropes, she probably could not have even imagined that she would be the CEO of the most successful company at the age of 51, with average annual revenue of $15 billion.
Success in Susan’s life came slowly, first with honors at Harvard University in the field of history and literature, then with plans to pursue a degree in economics, which radically changed her interest in technology. Later, she started working for the American corporation Intel and met Google co-founders, which somewhat determined Susan’s fate. While creating the Google search engine, the founders rented Susan’s house garage and several bedrooms, which partially solved the Wojcicki family’s financial problems.
Subsequently, in 1999, Susan herself became Google’s marketing manager, although her successful career only began here, and she soon continued to serve as Vice President of Advertising and Commerce, while also leading Google Video Services. Susan has been following the development of YouTube and seeing its potential, so she offered Google to buy it and finally, in 2006, bought YouTube for $ 1.65 billion. Suzanne Wojcicki has been the head of YouTube since 2014 and holds the longest-serving CEO’s status in the company’s history.
A woman heads the American multinational semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which develops computer processors for the business and consumer markets. Lisa Su was 3 years old when she moved with her family from Taiwan to the US. Lisa has dreamed of engineering since childhood. At the age of 10, interested in working with various items, she started repairing her brother’s remote control cars.
The statistician father helped him learn math and science, while the accountant mother introduced her to business concepts. Lisa graduated from Sum Bronx High School and went on to study electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has worked in technology at various times in Texas Instruments, IBM, Freescale Semiconductor. At the same time, she was actively engaged in scientific work – she became one of the first researchers to shed light on a previously unknown method of improving semiconductor technology.
Since 2014, Lisa Su has been the CEO of AMD. Under her leadership, the company is entering new stages of development. In 2017, the American business magazine Fortune named Lisa Su as one of the leading business persons in the world. The female leader is 50 years old today, and her annual income averages $ 6.73 billion.
Different and perhaps a little weird is the story of Maggie Timoney, CEO of Heineken USA, one of the world’s leading alcohol companies. It is strange in the sense that a woman who was addicted to sports, more specifically to basketball, as a child later finds herself at the head of the alcohol business. Born in Ireland, Maggie Timoney was the youngest member of a family of four.
As I have already mentioned, she was fascinated with basketball as a child – this passion gave her endurance and self-confidence, which in the future turned out to be just as necessary in business as it was for sports in childhood. Maggie took her first steps on her career path while studying at New York College when working in the alcohol wholesale business. In 1990, Heineken’s operations in the USA turned out to be a turning point, as it led to leading positions in Heineken’s homeland, the Netherlands and Canada. Eventually, Maggie Timoney returned to the States.
It took Heineken 20 years to learn more about strategic planning, global partnership, international distribution, and leading position in the company. However, her tireless work and diligence paid off. Maggie Timoney is 54 years old today, and as she notes, the results she has achieved speak for themselves. She feels responsible both to the company and to herself, her family, and every female leader.
One of the Fortune 500 leaders is Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, the largest global automobile manufacturer. Since childhood, Mary Barra has been interested in the automotive industry, which was probably due to her father, who for 39 years was a member of the team that played a crucial role in shaping one of General Motors’ largest and most powerful auto companies. Mary, 18, entered G.M. school to become an engineer. It took a lot of time and energy to reach the big goal. In 2014 Mary Barra took over as CEO of General Motors. Mary Barra was the first female leader in this field.
Simultaneously, an athlete and a businesswoman – Gail Koziara Boudreaux – leads Anthem Inc, the largest health insurance provider. Gail Koziara Boudreaux attended Chicopee Comprehensive High School. Her serious passion was sports, more specifically basketball, and she has made significant achievements in this direction. From 1978-1982, Gail was considered a distinguished player on the Dartmouth Big Green women’s basketball team and has received numerous awards.
She turned out to be more successful in the field of business. On her way to career advancement, the first steps in the direction of healthcare have been taken by companies such as Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, UnitedHealth Group. From 2017 to the present, she is CEO of Anthem Inc and is considered one of the most powerful female business leaders in the world.
It was not long before Kate Warden joined Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense technology company. However, her experience in information technology, cybersecurity, and venture capital led Kate Warden, who joined the company in 2008, becoming the head of one of the largest companies in 2019. Her background includes a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, a master’s degree from George Washington University, and work experience in companies such as General Dynamics, Veridian Corporation, General Electric. From the time she arrived at Northrop Grumman to the time she took over, her role encompassed every aspect of the company, and now she continues to do so successfully as CEO.
Author: Gvantsa Bziava