Brenda Barnes

Brenda C. Barnes,

was the president, chairman and chief executive of Sara Lee until August 2010, and previously was the first female CEO of PepsiCo[1]. She has been listed in Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women since 2004, appearing in the top ten in 2005 and 2006.

In 2009 Mrs. Barnes was ranked 29th in Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women.

Career

After working as a business manager for Wilson Sporting Goods in 1976[6] and Vice President of Marketing for Frito-Lay in 1981, Barnes became Group VP of Marketing for PepsiCo in 1984. She became President of Pepsi-Cola South/West in 1991, and COO of PepsiCo North America in 1993. Finally, in 1996, she became president and CEO of PepsiCo North America in 1996, a job she left in 1997 to spend more time with her family, a move that made national headlines.

After PepsiCo, she spent time as Interim President and COO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, from Nov 1999 - Mar 2000, and as an Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and at North Central College in 2002.

In July 2004, she became President and COO of Sara Lee Corp.. In February 2005, she became President and CEO of Sara Lee, and in October 2005, Chairman and CEO. While there, Barnes moved Sara Lee's headquarters out of downtown Chicago to suburban Downers Grove.

Barnes is or has been on the board of directors of Avon Products, Inc., Augustana College, Grocery Manufacturers Association, LucasFilm, Ltd., The New York Times Company, PepsiAmericas, Inc., Sara Lee Corporation, Sears, Roebuck & Co., Staples, Inc.. She has also been on the steering Committee of the Kellogg Center for Executive Women, Northwestern University.

While CEO of Sara Lee in 2008, Brenda C. Barnes earned a total compensation of $10,489,347, which included a base salary of $1,000,000, a cash bonus of $1,993,597, stocks granted of $4,866,000, and options granted of $2,398,668.

On June 11th 2009, she was added to Jim Cramer's wall of shame on his CNBC show MAD MONEY.

It was announced on May 14th, 2010 that Barnes would take a medical leave of absence with immediate effect from Sara Lee. Whilst it was not clear as to the cause of this, lead independent director for the company James Crown said, “We wish Brenda a speedy recovery and look forward to her return,” said Crown. “Out of respect for Brenda’s privacy, we will not be commenting further.”

On June 14, 2010, a statement was released indicating that Barnes suffered from a stroke at the age of 56, on August 9, 2010 she decided to resign at Sara Lee.

Education

Barnes received a BA in Economics in 1975 from Augustana College (Illinois), and an MBA in 1978 from Loyola University Chicago. In 1997 she was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters from Augustana College.

Personal life

Barnes has two sons and one daughter,

female top executives

(source:wikipedia)