The Association of Latin American Professionals for America (ALPFA), in collaboration with Fortune Magazine, has made public for second year in a row the list of the 50 most powerful Latin American Women in the corporative world in the United States. The list wants to place the focus on the power the Latinos have in the business world in North America and it assures that every year this presence is enlarging its number and influence. In fact, three of the women in the list got united to a young corporative last year.
This year, the nominated for the list of the most powerful Latin Americans almost twofold and 15 enterprise leaders joined the list for the first time, including the popular actress Jessica Alba, who is developing a successful career also as an enterprise manager. The fifty Latin executives that integrate this exclusive list manage important companies in the country and even some of them show an enterprise leadership at world level. The four criteria used to make the list are the following: the size and importance of the woman´s business for the global economy, the business health and management, professional trajectory, and its social and cultural influence. The list of powerful Latin women of this year gives priority to those who manage big public companies with important global operative roles, instead of roles of personnel. Next for classifications are the Latin women who manage big private enterprises and, finally the enterprise mangers who have ascended successfully in their average market business.
In PanamericanWorld we want to stand out the first ten women in the list, which by means of their example and experience offer a very inspiring story for other women and undertakers from all over Latin America. They have paved the way to their success in one of the most competitive markets of the world, and they become referents.
1. GEISHA WILLIAMS
CEO and President, PG & E
Williams manages one of the main combined companies of energy (natural gas and electricity) in the United States. The company offers part of the cleanest energy of the country to almost 16 million people in the North and Center of California, having its headquarter in San Francisco and more than 20,000 employees. Williams is the first Latin in managing a Fortune 500 company. Since she joined PG & E, Williams has supervised the movement of the company to bring the 33 % of its energy from renewable sources. The electric company has also become leader in integration of renewable energies, modernization of webs and intelligent web technologies. During this time, they have also gained the greatest degree of electric security in the company history.
2. GRACE PUMA
Executive Vice-president of Global Operations, PepsiCo
As executive vice-president of Global Operations of PepsiCo, Puma has a long list of responsibilities that include 63.000 million dollars of PepsiCo, integrated by Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana. Among her competencies we include global purchasing that represents more than 25.000 million dollars of annual expenses. Among her tasks, there is quality impulse, efficiency, and world growing capacity. The enterprise has more than 250,000 employees all over the world and its stability and well-being depends on Grace. Before joining PepsiCo in 2010, Puma occupied responsibilities in United Airlines, Kraft Foods, Motorola and Gillette.
3. MARÍA CASTAÑÓN MOATS
Vice-president PwC. Leader of insurance for United States and Mexico
This powerful Latin is a member of the leading team of the company in USA and runs a key role in the executive group of global insurance. Her leading role in the national insurance practice covers the commercial strategy, quality and the regulatory relations, innovations, risk management, business strategy and enterprise development, and the human resources. Castañón-Moats is an enterprise leader who has developed a long professional career, mostly based on the clients services in the fields of consuming and industrial products. Her career covers accounting, financial reports, research and fusions and acquisitions. She has managed public and private entities´ audits, and initial and secondary public offers.
4. SONIA DULÁ
Vice-president of Bank of America for Latin America
Dulá has managed the three divisions of the Bank of America business in Latin America: corporative, investment bank and patrimony administration. This year Sonia has dedicated all the time to cover companies of telecommunications and means in Latin America, helping to increase their rapid transformation. Before that, she occupied high responsibilities in Pemex and Goldman Sachs. As General Director of Radio Latin Group, she was responsible of more than 500 radio stations in Latin America and the USA. The executive was born in Mexico but grew up in Brazil.
5. GISEL RUIZ
Executive Vice-president and director of operations of Sam’s Club, a Walmart division
Gisel Ruiz started her career in Walmart 25 years ago and now she manages operations in almost 600 Sam’s Club stores in the United States with incomes of 60.000 million dollars. She also supervises the real estate division, the digital services in the club and the team of transformations of operations. Ruiz has occupied different executive positions in Walmart, and Latina Style has recognized her as “Latina Executive of the Year” in 2010 and Fortune has identified her as one of the 50 most powerful business women in the world in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
6. MARIA MARTINEZ
President, Salesforce Customer Success Group and Success Cloud. Manager of Salesforce for Latin America.
Martínez has worked for more than 30 years in different leading roles in business and technology. Her main devotion is to help the clients to transform their business, and to accomplish their objectives in the shortest possible time. Before joining Salesforce, Martínez administered the business of Microsoft Global Services, where she supervised the enterprises so as to increase the income objectives and to significantly increase the Microsoft satisfaction quality of the clients. She also worked as president and general director of Embrace Networks and occupied very high positions in leading Motorola and AT & T.
7. MICHELE DOCHARTY
Co-director of Global Synthetics Products Distribution / General Head of Corporative Access, Values Division of Goldman Sachs
She joined Goldman Sachs in 1989 in the division of investment bank and she occupied selling positions in United States and Latin America before assuming the responsibility of the business of effectives in 1999. She is also a member of the Diversity Committee of the Americas.
Docharty has actively participated in all the initiatives of the firm to stimulate the diversity, giving an impulse to the Alliance of Multicultural Women and the web of Goldman Sachs women. She was nominated as Director-Manager in 1999 and partner in 2010. She obtained a BSBA (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration), at the University of Georgetown, where she also helped to guide the efforts of the firm´s recruitment.
8. YASMINE WINKLER
CEO, Central Region, of UnitedHealthcare Community and State
In her role as CEO of the central region, Winkler is responsible of about the 30% of the whole business of Medicaid of UnitedHealthcare. She manages a team of 2.700 employees to offer well-being and health services to more than 1.9 million people. She is also a member of the diversity and inclusion Council of CEO of UnitedHealthcare and of the innovation forum of UnitedHealth Group. Winkler has also occupied managing positions in BlueCross / BlueShield of Illinois, Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
9. ADRIANA CISNEROS
CEO, Cisneros
Cisneros manages a family enterprise of third generation focused on digital and interactive means and on real estate. She is also the president of Cisneros Foundation, an organization without spirit of lucre dedicated to improve the quality of education in the region. She is also co-president of Endeavor Miami, Director and a member of the executive committee of the International Academy of Arts and Television Sciences Meeting, Paley Center for Media trustee and member of MoMA Committee Council for acquisitions in Latin America. She recently joined the councils of Parrot Analytics, The Knight Foundation and University of Miami.
10. JESSICA ALBA
Founder of The Honest Company
Alba is the founder of The Honest Company and Honest Beauty, companies that offer more than a hundred products that are tested and effective for babies, personal care or cleaning. She is an enterprise leader well acknowledged at world level, undertaker, defender, actress, and author of Best-sellers of New York Times of The Honest Life, a practical guide for the parents to create a secure and healthy life for their families. The Honest Company has donated more than twelve million products and more than 15.000 social service hours of its employees through its Honest to Goodness program.
