Who's the Top Female CEO in America?

Editor’s Note: In an interview with wowOwow, New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera, whose latest book, Good Guys and Bad Guys, is a collection of his writings, also explains why wealthy women don’t buy yachts, how Wall Street still keeps a good woman down and why women’s sports is such a financial flop.

wOw: Who is the most effective female CEO to your mind?

Nocera: Without a doubt, it’s Indra Nooyi of Pepsi. She is tough and smart, but she is also quite charismatic, and a born leader. People respond to her, which I think is a key skill for any chief executive. And she is trying to do something really hard but really important—turn Pepsi into a company less dependent on its core soda business, and transition it to a company that makes food and drinks that are healthier.
   
wOw: Is there something different about her in comparison to an effective male CEO?

Nocera: To be honest, I don’t really think there is much difference between her and a good male chief executive. No CEO can simply say “jump” and expect the corporation to ask, “How high?” The world doesn’t work that way anymore. Good executives lead by example, by persuasion, by being able to explain why they are taking the course they are taking. People need to see that they are comfortable in their own skin, that they are not defensive, that they are empathetic—but that in the end, they can make the tough decisions. Jeff Immelt, in my opinion, has those qualities—and so does Indra Nooyi.

wOw: Other than our fabulous Mary Wells Lawrence, who is/was the best female entrepreneur in America?

Nocera: I have two candidates: Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, which, in addition to being a successful business, was an early leader in creating corporate culture that was “green” and progressive. My second candidate is Oprah Winfrey, who has done an amazing job “extending her brand” from one talk show into everything from XM Radio to magazines to the movies.

In part two of this interview, Joe Nocera explains why Americans are bad investors, China is scary ( but not in ways you might think it is) and greed is only half good.