One of the Women in Business Who Is Inspirational
Anne Mulcahy Demonstrates What Women in Business Can Do
Perusing Forbes’ or Fortune’s yearly lists of the most powerful women in business can be eye-opening, not just for the number of global powerhouse companies run by women, but because of these women’s biographies and the way they successfully juggle their personal and professional lives. These women stand out not just for their ability to excel in a world still dominated by men and traditionally sexist values, nor because they excel so much farther than many of their peers. They stand out because so many of them remain committed to women’s causes and giving back to their communities while achieving all the other remarkable things they do.
Anne Mulcahy is an example of this kind of inspirational women in business. She successfully led Xerox to a major turnaround and navigated it through major fraud accusations during her eight-year tenure as CEO. She remained a member of its Board of Directors for a year after stepping down from the helm, and in 2010 became the object of rumors about who might take over as head of the National Economic Council and become part of United States President Barack Obama’s cabinet. But again, these are just examples of how she excelled professionally. More impressive is her involvement in Save the Children, an organization committed to effecting permanent changes in the lives of children in the United States and across the world.
As Chairwomen of the Save the Children Board of Trustees in the United States, Mulcahy has spoken out in support of initiatives at the United Nations targeting childhood nutrition, and led Save the Children in efforts to support the Millennium Development Goals of reducing child mortality and eradicating extreme hunger. Since her retirement from Xerox in 2009, she has made Save the Children her primary focus. She has brought the same leadership skills and desire to inspire those around her and lead by example to her work with Save the Children.
In a world where successful women in business are often portrayed negatively, Mulcahy’s commitment to professional excellence and helping those in need provide a very concrete example of how women of character break those stereotypes.
