In our generation and past generations women’s names have always sounded strongly. We can find successful women in different fields, such as Indian-born American entrepreneur Indra Nooyi, who until 2019 was President and CEO of PepsiCo. Just like her, other women have been placed in positions of power over the course of the 21st century within worlds that were previously reserved only for men. This is the case of Nicole Junkermann, Mary Barra and Ana Patricia Botín, who exercise their dominance in areas that are as traditionally adverse to female talent as automotive and finance.
All of them are pioneers, each in their own time, in very diverse terrain, but with a lot in common. In addition, they represent the empowerment of women in the world of art, society and business. And, above all, they are examples of independent women who were not afraid to step up to break certain stereotypes and with the dreaded glass ceiling.
Indra Nooyi: a full-fledged entrepreneur
Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi worked for 24 years at the multinational PepsiCo, a company that owns globally recognized brands such as Pepsi, Gatorade, Lay’s and Quaker. For more than 12 years she held the position of President and CEO, one of his biggest challenges was to thwart an attempt to disband the company.
In addition, under her leadership PepsiCo managed to increase sales exponentially, introduced healthier product lines and created policies to set more environmental friendly and respectful production processes
Times magazine called her one of the 100 most influential personalities and Forbes as one of the most powerful executives on the planet, estimating her fortune by March 2021 at $290 million.
This soon-to-be 61-year-old executive is from Chennai capital of the state of Tamil Nadu in India, where she studied elementary school, high school and went to college, graduating in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in 1974, then moved to Calcutta for a master’s degree in Management.
She began his professional career in his native country, working in companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Mettur Beardsell, in 1978 she moved to the United States to do a Masters in Public Management at Yale University. After graduating, he got several jobs until she joined PepsiCo in 1994.
Her great ability to work, her leadership and her simplicity, always wearing a saree suit, allowed her to become President and CEO of PepsiCo in 2001, the first immigrant and the first woman to lead one of the largest companies in the world.
Indra Nooyi is an entrepreneur who has become an example for all women in the world, who thinks that a woman should do things her own way, but with dedication and passion, in fact she is a simple woman who is proud to wear the traditional dress of women in India.
Nicole Junkermann: another woman who breaks the mold in the technological field
Like Indra, Nicole breaks the canons and stereotypes of what a woman in a well-to-do family is supposed to be. She was born in Germany, but grew up in Marbella and expresses to be in love with everything that has to do with our country, Nicole soon found her way into the business world and decided to create the Winamax online gaming platform. That’s where she began her adventure as a successful entrepreneur.
After daring to take this challenge, she co-founded Sports and Media, a company that he sold nine years later. In addition, she invested in one of the most powerful sports stores in China (Really Sports) and created the venture capital fund United in Sports.
She currently heads NJF Holdings, also serves on the board of Owkin, a company in the portfolio of NJF Capital, and is currently a director of the private equity firm Trilantic Europe. Nicole is also part of the Latin American Acquisitions Committee of the Tate Americas Foundation, which supports the work of Latin American artists, first of all, she is a mother who educates her daughter, to be an independent woman just like her.
Other powerful women in rare worlds
There is a song with a phrase that is familiar to all of us and that comes up at this point: ‘What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this? ‘. I’m sure that both Indra Nooyi, Nicole Junkermann and other women in her situation are no stranger to these kinds of questions.
Even in the 21st century, there are those who find it strange to see women in positions of responsibility and positions in society where you normally see only suits and ties.
Mary Barra, leading woman in the world of business
There are examples like Mary Barra’s that break all those prejudices and barriers. Today, she is said to be one of the most powerful women in the world, as she is at the head of one of the most important automotive companies on the planet.
The CEO of General Motors was the first woman to hold a similar position in this sector. And she didn’t get there by chance. He studied electrical engineering and business administration, and at the age of 18 she was already part of the multinational that she now leads with another point of view. The one who takes care of the well-being of its employees and changes the company’s business culture with a firm and determined step towards the future.
Ana Patricia Botín, one of the most influential women
Spain is also the birthplace of powerful women in sectors that were previously considered exclusively for men. Ana Patricia Botín is heir to one of Spain’s great economic empires.
Since she heads Banco Santander, she has been one of the most influential women in the business world, although before that she had already gained extensive experience in the high finance sector.
One year after becoming president of the company, Ana Botín was elected by the Government of David Cameron as part of its advisory team, which makes it clear that her training and knowledge are beyond doubt.
The plans of all these women are also to leave a better world for future generations. They know that other women before them had a harder time breaking patterns, but they did. That is why they are not afraid to bet on a wide variety of industries, even in those areas where, even today, many think that they are banned spaces for women.
Because of this Indra Nooyi, Nicole Junkermann, Mary Barra or Ana Patricia Botín share a courageous character and their dedication to all those ideas that represent the women’s revolution.
