Women CEOs Who Made History
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Sara Blakely
Though people had been cutting the legs off control-top pantyhose and using them as makeshift girdles for years, only Sara Blakely has turned it into a billion-dollar company: Spanx. By 2012, she was the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. According to Christina Urquhart, founder and CEO of Charm City Concierge, Blakely’s story is especially inspirational because she spent years hustling in her 20s as a sales trainer by day and developing her game-changing product by night. Not long after that, Oprah named Spanx one of her “Favorite Things,” taking the brand to the next level.
“I admire that Sara has also placed an emphasis on supporting women across the world,” Urquhart tells Reader’s Digest. “She founded The Sara Blakely Foundation to fund scholarships for young women in South Africa, and she’s also the first female billionaire to join The Giving Pledge—where the world’s richest people donate at least half their wealth to charity.” Don’t miss these inspiring stories of women who are changing lives for the better around the globe.
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Lisa Lutoff-Perlo
Lisa Lutoff-Perlo began her career as a travel advisor, and within a few decades rose through the ranks to become the CEO of Celebrity Cruises. According to Marina Shumaieva, president and CTO at CruiseBe.com, Lutoff-Perlo started as a district sales manager for the vacation brand in 1985 and 20 years later became the Senior Vice President of the Hotel Operations at the Celebrity Cruises. From 2012 to 2014, Lutoff-Perlo was executive vice president of Royal Caribbean Ltd., and finally, in December 2014, she became the first female president and CEO in Royal Caribbean history. “She is a true leader in the industry,” Shumaieva tells Reader’s Digest. “Celebrity Cruises became the first cruise company in the world to legalize same-sex marriages on a ship. Lisa is standing for equality between men and women on the captain’s bridge and in the team.”
She also hired the first American woman to captain a cruise ship. “Under her leadership, the cruise company already has three captain women, and the number of women on the bridge has increased several times,” Shumaieva adds. “On March 8, 2020, the first female officer team’s only cruise in history should start. Lisa’s inspiration, passion, and determination change the pretty conservative industry for the better.” These are more famous female firsts everyone should know about.
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Indra Nooyi
Aside from being the first female CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi made history in a number of other ways. “She was arguably the first Fortune 500 executive to double down on health and wellness values—and it transformed Pepsi as a result,” Nithya Thadani, CEO of RAIN tells Reader’s Digest.
Despite the Indian-born American executive’s accomplishments as CEO, possibly one of her greatest achievements for women was the message she shared when she stepped down from her role as CEO, according to Thadani. “She admitted regret that her career success had come at the cost of family,” she explains. “To hear someone of her rank say those words out loud was powerful and important. Many women executives are conflicted in striking this balance and we need more authentic conversations like the one Indra has started.” Read more about the amazing accomplishments of women, including these 13 moments that changed women’s history forever.
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