Lots of Most Powerful Women—the stars of Fortune's annual list--are moving up and making news. You know about Kraft Foods (KFT) CEO Irene Rosenfeld snagging Cadbury (CBY), the British candy giant, last week after a messy, multi-month battle. With her heftiest shareholder, Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB) CEO Warren Buffett, skeptical about the deal, Rosenfeld has plenty to prove. But assuming it goes through, the acquisition will make Kraft larger than PepsiCo (PEP)--which is led by Fortune's No. 1 MPWoman, Indra Nooyi.
Meanwhile, a few less-noticed but noteworthy moves by Fortune MPWomen:
Charlene Begley, the youngest woman ever to make it to SVP at General Electric (GE), scored again this month. She moved from the top job at GE Enterprise Solutions, a $4 billion business, to the No. 1 position at newly named GE Home & Business Solutions, with $10 billion in annual revenues. Her new job puts her in charge of Appliances & Lighting, Intelligent Platforms and Security--and many of GE's green efforts, which are a prime focus of CEO Jeff Immelt. Begley, 43, reports to Immelt and is overseeing 35,000 employees.She was No. 27 on Fortune's MPWomen list last year, but will likely move up this year.
Then there's Jan Fields, No. 32 in the 2009 MPWomen rankings. She's been promoted from COO of McDonald's (MCD) U.S. business to CEO of that giant division.
Knowing Fields' background, you wouldn't have bet on her rise to the top. The seventh of eight children born to a car dealer in Vincennes, Indiana, she paid her own way through local community colleges. "I stumbled upon McDonald's as I was looking for a job to help pay for college," she says.
Fields began behind the counter at a Dayton, Ohio McDonald's in 1978, at 23. No, she never graduated from college. But she found the right career path. "I would not be as successful as I have been had it not been my early days of learning the ropes," she says. "I'm humbled that a girl that started working as crew cooking french fires could become the U.S. President. Only at McDonald's!"
Another woman to watch—though it's not easy, since she stays under the radar more than any other woman on the Most Powerful list: Abby Johnson, the billionaire daughter of Fidelity Investments boss Edward C. "Ned" Johnson. Last week, Ned's No. 2, Rodger Lawson announced plans to leave, reviving speculation that Abby, 48, will step up and eventually succeed her 79-year-old father. I've written about the soap opera at Fidelity, though not in a while. The Boston Globe is covering the story. If you have insights to share, drop me a line or a comment. Do you think that Abby, No. 28 on Fortune's MPWomen list, is likely--and suited--to lead the mighty Fidelity?
On Friday, I left you with a promise: that I'd find something new and proactive to do to answer President Obama's call to "responsibility"--which seems to be the buzzword of his Administration.
I found my "to do" this weekend--but before I tell you what I decided on, let me share briefly what I spent yesterday working on. Carrie Welch, my onetime Fortune colleague and former Most Powerful Women Summit co-chair, and MORE
Patricia Sellers - Mar 2, 2009 2:10 PM ET
I'm on vacation this week -- or I'm supposed to be! The blog world never sleeps, I guess, nor does learning while away. So I'll share with you a few things I'm learning here in Allentown, Pa.
Aside from plowing snow, I've been plowing through the invite list for next year's Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. This, as you may know, is the annual powwow that accompanies the release of what MORE
Patricia Sellers - Dec 23, 2008 2:16 PM ET
I see that Bob Reynolds, who quit Fidelity Investments last year knowing he would never inherit the CEO post from patriarch Ned Johnson, has landed at rival Putnam Investments as CEO. Good for Reynolds, but tough job ahead since Putnam is fighting fund redemptions and client defections.
Another former top exec at Fidelity who left, similarly frustrated, is Ellyn McColgan. Morgan Stanley (MS) CEO John Mack scooped her up and lured MORE
Patricia Sellers - Jun 13, 2008 5:00 PM ET
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