Since women gained the right to own and control businesses in 1988, the industry has changed dramatically through the work of many influential women in business. This article will discuss in particular, 3 key women who helped develop the field we now know today.
Mary Barra
Mary Barra has been the CEO of General Motors since 2014. After beginning her career in electrical engineering, she earned her MBA at Stanford and entered the business world. Starting at GM at just 18 years old, Barra rose in the ranks through relentless work and even helped GM out of a public relations crisis. Two years later, Barra would become the first female CEO of any leading automaker in America. Today, Barra remains a firm believer in fostering a healthy work environment. In several interviews, Mary has mentioned her principle of being candid and open with her opinions, and urges others to do the same.
Anna Wojcicki
After spending years investing in healthcare companies, Anna looked for a way to empower customers. Eventually, she co-founded 23andMe in 2006. She hoped to empower consumers to learn more about their genetic and personalized information and to help researchers develop more accurate drugs and diagnoses. 23andMe won Time's Invention of the Year in 2008, and gained FDA approval in 2015 to detect over 30 autosomal recessive disorders. By 2016, 23andMe researchers had genotyped over 1 million people worldwide, improving their lives and bringing medical information to the public.
Cindy Mi
Founder and CEO of VIPKID, Cindy Mi, has helped millions of families worldwide learn new languages conveniently and efficiently. In an interview, Mi stated that she understood the educational gap, with students desperate to learn English but lacking the resources to do so. Her solution to this divide was VIPKID. The online platform currently has over 100k users across 50+ countries and is the global leader in K-12 English teaching programs. VIPKID has also been awarded several honors, including Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies 2018 and 2019.
