Movers and Shakers: Internet and Retail

by Sima Matthes (New York City)

When you think cutting edge, you think Silicon Valley. Within the Valley, there’s a smaller community of internet companies, and, regrettably, these companies can hardly be called cutting–or leading–edge on gender equity.

So why the dearth of women? Quoted in a 2007 article in the Guardian UK, Jenny Slade, the communications director of the National Center for Women and Information Technology [UK] said “There were fewer women in 2006 getting computer degrees than in 1985. Women’s participation in computer-related occupations is low overall and it decreases as women climb the corporate ladder.”

That said, the following women are proof that there are some exceptionally qualified women who are blazing trails along the high tech highway:

(1) Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook

Ms. Sandberg was named COO of Facebook in March, 2008. She manages the social network’s business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy, privacy, and communications. Before joining Facebook, Ms. Sandberg built and managed the online sales channels for advertising and publishing for Google in her role as vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations .

Ms. Sandberg served as the Chief of Staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton and had a stint as an economist with The World Bank. She holds a master’s degree in business administration with highest distinction a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in economics from Harvard University.

(2) Joanna Shields, Executive Vice President, AOL, and President, People Networks

Ms. Shields is responsible for integrating AOL‘s community platforms and for extending the global reach of AOL’s social networks. Prior to joining AOL, Ms. Shields was president of Bebo, a global social media network. During her tenure at Bebo, she helped bring the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award-nominated serialized drama “KateModern” to fruition. AOL acquired Bebo earlier this year.

Ms. Shields is also Google’s former managing director for Google Europe, Russia, Middle East & Africa. Over her 20-year career, she has held key senior management positions in leading technology and Internet companies. Ms. Shields holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University.

(3) Shona Brown, Senior Vice President, Business Operations, Google

Following her partnership at McKinsey & Company, where she led the global strategy practice from 1995 to 2003, Ms. Brown joined Google, assuming the responsibility for Google’s business operations. She became senior VP of business operations in 2006.

Ms. Brown has a background in consumer software and hardware technology. She has taught at Stanford University and within McKinsey’s corporate “mini-MBA” program. A successful author of Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in computer systems engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a master’s degree in economics and philosophy from Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. Additionally, she received her Ph.D. and postdoctoral degree from Stanford University’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management.

(4) L. Michelle Wilson, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary, Amazon.com

Ms. Wilson has been an officer of Amazon.com, incorporated since 1999. She has held the position of senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary since June 2003. Prior to that, she was senior vice president of Human Resources, general counsel, and secretary.

Ms. Wilson joined Amazon.com following 11 years at Perkins Coie LLP. She is a Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Washington with a BA in finance, and a cum laude graduate of the University of Chicago Law School.

(5) Lorrie Norrington, President, eBay Marketplace Operations

Ms. Norrington has a long and storied career in the information services industry. She spent 20 years at GE, then joined Intuit as the company’s executive vice president of small businesses and personal finance, championing Intuit’s QuickBooks, Small Business Services, Payroll and Quicken Brands. Ms. Norrington then served as president and CEO of Shopping.com, an online comparison shopping division of Ebay, and as president of Ebay International. Now president of eBay Marketplace Operations, she is responsible for assuring smooth operation of all Ebay’s sites globally.

She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

(6) Susan L. Decker, President, Yahoo.com

Susan L. Decker joined Yahoo! Incorporated as senior vice president of Finance and Administration in 2000, and has held positions of progressive responsibility since then, culminating with her assumption of the presidency of the company in 2007.

Ms. Decker also serves as a director of Berkshire Hathaway, Costco Wholesale Corporation and Intel Corporation. She holds a B.S. from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In 2007, she ranked as one of Fortune magazine’s 25 highest paid women.

 

(7) Shana Fisher, Senior Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategy, IAC Interactive Corp.

According to a December 2007 profile in Fast Company.com, Shana Fisher “has become a star at IAC by ferreting out undervalued companies and emerging markets.

She was ranked #14 on PC World‘s list of the 50 most important people on the web in 2007, ahead of bigger names from more easily recognized companies such as Amazon and Ebay. Ms. Fisher was recently the keynote speaker at the Web 2.0 Expo in New York City. Shana Fisher’s skills and leadership have helped her engineer IAC’s ownership of Ask.com (formerly AskJeeves), Citysearch, Expedia, Match.com, Ticketmaster, as well as a raft of other web businesses. She is currently chaperoning the company’s efforts to launch Instant Action, an online gaming site.

Ms. Fisher has been with IAC in progressively responsible positions, first as senior vice president of Business Operations, then from 2003 to 2005 as senior vice president, Strategic Planning. Prior to her tenure at IAC, she served as vice president and director of Media and Technology Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Finance for Allen & Company, LLC. Ms. Fisher holds an undergraduate degree from Hampshire College and attended the Master of Arts and Sciences program at New York University.

(8) Safra Catz, President/Director Oracle Corporation

Safra Catz has been with Oracle since 1999. In those 9 years, she has served in progressively responsible positions, beginning as senior vice president and ultimately achieving her current rank.

Ms. Catz is 15th on the Forbes Most Powerful Women in the World list for 2008, and holds both undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

(9) Ann Livermore, Executive Vice President, Hewlett-Packard

Ms. Livermore leads HP‘s Technology Solutions Group which deals with storage and servers, software and services for business and public sector customers of all sizes. Ms. Livermore joined the company in 1982, and was elected a corporate vice president in 1995.

She ranked at #13 on the Fortune Power 50 in 2007. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University.

Why aren’t more women at the forefront of the information revolution? Is it as simple as Ms. Slade suggests, that women just aren’t getting the degrees and participating as they need to, or is there something more afoot? Watch The Glass Hammer for more articles on this hot topic, including our report on a study by the Anita Borg Institute on impediments to the advancement of mid-level women in high tech, scheduled to be released early next month.