Five Powerful Women You May Not Know

When we think of powerful women we often think of names such as Queen Elizabeth II and Oprah Winfrey, not necessarily in that order, but my internet provider has given me a laundry list of other women who wield power of their own.
               Indra Nooyi   (Photo courtesy of World Economic Forum)

Indra Nooyi ranks number one on Fortune Magazine’s most powerful women in business list for the second consecutive year.  Who is Ms Nooyi?  If you enjoy Frito-Lay chips or Tropicana orange juice you are already acquainted with her.  She’s the Chairman of the Board and CEO of PepsiCo
Vasula Burns (Photo courtesy of Xerox)

Vasula Burns comes in at number 14 on Fortune’s list and is the first black woman to head a major company.  Ms Burns is the Chief Executive Officer of the Xerox Corporation.  She is credited with helping cut the company’s work force by 40 percent which is good unless you were one of those who were cut
Sheila Bair (Photo courtesy of FDIC)

Sheila Bair may be recognized by some American TV viewers because of her frequent appearances before Congress and on news bites in 2009 because of the bank bailouts.  Ms Bair is head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the organization that insures your  deposits in case your bank goes belly up.  She ranks number one on Huffington Post’s list of most powerful women
                                                                     Ann Sweeney (Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Co.)

Ann Sweeney only made Fortune’s cut at number 52 but youknow of her handiwork if you watch much television.  She has had a huge influence on mainstream popular culture as co-chair of Disney Media Networks, creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Dancing with the Stars.  She also heads up TV Operations for Disney and gave the leg up for tween idols Miley  (Hannah Montana) Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers
Lynn Elsenhans (Photo courtesy of Sunoco)

Rounding out my big five is Lynn Elsenhans–not a household hame but number 10 on Forbes Magazine’s 100 most powerful women.  A basketball star for Rice University, she is now the Chief Executive Officer of Sunoco Oil Co.

So, look out guys.  Who says that glass ceiling can’t be cracked?  These and many others have broken all the way through.