PRESS RELEASE 16.11.2011
· FINANCIAL TIMES ANNOUNCES ITS ANNUAL LIST OF TOP WOMAN EXECUTIVES, “WOMEN AT THE TOP”
· GULER SABANCI MOVES UP A PLACE TO NUMBER 2 ON THE LIST
· FT: “GULER SABANCI IS AN IMPORTANT FORCE IN TURKEY’S POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE”
· GULER SABANCI: “YOU MUST BE FAST AND FLEXIBLE IN BUSINESS BECAUSE UNCERTAINTY IS THE ONLY CERTAINTY IN LIFE”
Guler Sabanci, chairman and managing director of Sabanci Holding, was placed number 2 on the Financial Times’ annual list of top 50 women in world business. Guler Sabanci was placed third on last year’s list.
In its report, Financial Times noted: “The chairwoman of the large Turkish conglomerate is a force in the country’s political and social life.”
“Guler Sabanci is not only chairwoman and managing director of Sabanci Holding, the parent company of the Sabanci Group, one of Turkey’s largest industrial and financial conglomerates, but also an important force in the country’s cultural life. She has received many international awards and honours, including the Clinton Global Citizen Award from the former US president’s business philanthropy group, for her “leadership in the corporate sector”.
“She is the third generation of Sabancis to run the company since it was founded by her grandfather, Haci Omer, in the early part of the 20th century. What started as a cotton and textile trading business, now spans financial services, tyres, cement, energy and retailing.”
“Graduating from Boğaziçi University’s faculty of business administration, her career started at Lassa, the group’s tyre business. Many roles followed – “I’ve worked at every level of the organisation. But wherever I’ve been, I’ve worked as if that was the only opportunity I had” – and in 1985 she became general manager of Sabanci’s tyre cord production company, and, in 1997, president of the company’s tyre and tyre reinforcement materials group.”
“She is heavily involved in philanthropy, including Sabanci University, of which she is founding president, and Sakip Sabanci Museum, where she is chairwoman. She is also the president of the board of the Haci Omer Sabanci Foundation, which has invested $1.5bn in social programmes since 1974.”
“She told the FT last year: “My friends call me a pace setter. Sometimes I am impatient, I think, but you must be fast and flexible in business because uncertainty is the only certainty in life.”
THE JUDGES
The top 50 was selected by an expert jury, which included:
- Ferdinando Beccalli-Falco (GE)
- Clara Furse (Nomura Bank International)
- Rachel Kyte (World Bank)
- Damien O’Brien (Egon Zehnder International)
- Marjorie Scarding (Pearson)
- Jacob Wallenberg (Investor)
- Nora Wu (PwC)
THE METHODOLOGY
The top 50 was selected by an expert jury, whose choices were based on information on the executives’ performance and durability.
A range of factors was used to assess the candidates: biographical data; size, scope and complexity of the company (including turnover and number of employees, number of sectors and countries of operation), and competitive landscape.
The judges ranked only executives managing a group’s controlling company. The panel also took into account each company’s performance over the three years o June 30, 2011.
THE TOP FIVE
The top five this year was headed by Irene Rosenfeld of Kraft. Following Guler Sabanci, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo placed third, Ursula Burns of Xerox fourth, and Andrea Jung of Avon Products fifth.