"'More' is not the answer here. 'Better' is the answer here. 'Much less' is the answer here."
-- Sallie Krawcheck, former CFO of Citigroup (C), discussing the need for simplicity in financial disclosures in a video interview with CNNMoney anchor Poppy Harlow. Krawcheck gets personal here: Six weeks ago she refinanced her home and encountered "mind-boggling" paperwork, she says. The financial-services industry, she notes, "had high returns on complexity for years." Complexity bred profitability--and confusion for consumers and investors.
A champion for the individual investor since her early days as an analyst (who covered the financial-services industry), Krawcheck seems, in this video interview, tempted by the idea of a job in the Obama administration. If she went to Washington, she'd presumably take a key post in the area of regulation/investor protection. But she has three children in school in New York City, so a move would be a big deal.
Meanwhile, she's been rumored to be a candidate to run the U.S. wealth management unit at UBS (UBS). That's unlikely--too close to her last job at Citigroup. --Jessica Shambora
Did you see WWE Raw Monday night? I did. First time ever. Why? (Good question!) Because Fortune was front and center. Big John Bradshaw Layfield, known as JBL to pro wrestling fans, was hawking our new issue for one reason: His wife, Meredith Whitney, is on the cover.
Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Meredith Whitney
Whitney, in case you don't know, is Wall Street's force of nature. The Oppenheimer analyst has recently MORE
Patricia Sellers - Aug 5, 2008 1:21 PM ET
I saw Brady Dougan last evening. He's the under-the-radar CEO of one of the financial world's quietest giants, Credit Suisse Group (CS). The company's cocktail reception, hosted by Dougan at New York's Chelsea Art Museum, was off the record, so I can't tell you what we talked about. But I can tell you that this young chief sure seems to have grown into the big job. I spent time with MORE
Patricia Sellers - Jun 25, 2008 4:52 PM ET
Who will head Hearst following CEO Victor Ganzi's sudden departure? Read my colleague Richard Siklos' smart take on the drama there. I had lunch on Monday with one contender: Hearst Magazines President Cathie Black - and even then, she had no clue that her boss was going to quit. In fact, Cathie told me on Monday that she was heading to India for an IBM (IBM) board meeting this MORE
Patricia Sellers - Jun 19, 2008 6:32 PM ET
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Pattie Sellers has written some of Fortune's most talked-about cover stories, including "Oprah's Next Act," "Can Meg Whitman Save California?" "The $100 Billion Woman" (Melinda Gates), "MySpace Cowboys," Martha Stewart ("I cannot be destroyed"), Ted Turner ("Gone with the Wind") and Oprah Winfrey ("Oprah Inc."). Since its launch in 1998, Pattie has helped oversee Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" cover package.
A specialist at dissecting larger-than-life personalities, she has also profiled former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Morgan Stanley chairman John Mack, and countless CEOs.
Pattie co-chairs the annual Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, the preeminent gathering of women leaders in business, philanthropy, government, academia, and the arts. She started at Fortune in 1984, covering the big brand companies.
In Pattie's blog, Postcards, she provides insight into the lives of super-achievers through commentary, career advice, and Guest Posts by CEOs and other leaders.
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Fortune Most Powerful Women
Sheryl Sandberg:
Gina Bianchini
