Lincoln Academy 2013 Interview Brenda C. Barnes

Описание: Brenda C. Barnes served as Chief Executive Officer of Sara Lee Corporation -- then one of the largest female - run company in the Fortune 500 -- during a critical time in its history, providing leadership during a multi - year restructuring.
Earlier she had served as Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi - Cola North America (the first woman to have attained that office), but in 1997, she stunned corporate America by ending her twenty - two y ear career at Pepsi Cola to spend more time with her three young children.
Just as her decision to leave Pepsi Cola made national headlines (some fearing that a career break for a “working mother” might end her working life), so also did her election seve n years later as President of Sara Lee (where her accomplishments promptly earned her a top ten ranking on the Forbes list of “The World's Most Powerful Women”).
She credits much of her success to her education at Augustana College. She and three of her six sisters graduated from Augustana. She chaired the College's Board of Trustees and continues to mentor Augustana students interested in business and finance. Over the years, she has also served on numerous corporate boards, including the board of dir ectors of Avon, Sears Roebuck & Company, Staples Inc. and the New York Times.
In 2010, she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and stepped down as CEO of Sara Lee in order to bring to the long process of recovery and rehabilitation the same determination that l ed to her success in corporate America. “My mom is the same strong, dedicated, hard - working woman she was prior to her stroke,” her daughter Erin says. “She is still fiercely independent in spirit. She always has been loving and caring. That hasn't cha nged. But she does laugh a bit more now. We've all learned to laugh at life a bit more.”