Women in tech who rocked 2012
By Tina Costanza via Silicone Republic
19.12.2012
We take a look back at some women who have made strides in tech this year – from taking top positions at companies, to encouraging other women to adopt a career in the field – and salute Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg, Virginia Rometty, Neelie Kroes and Louise Phelan.
Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer
The year 2012 has been the year of Marissa Mayer. In July, the former Google executive was appointed CEO of internet company Yahoo! and faced with the gargantuan task of turning the company’s fortunes around. She is the company’s third CEO in 12 months and its fifth in five years.
Since taking over the corner office at Yahoo!, Mayer has focused largely on the company’s people, with plans to reportedly review and approve each hire herself.
She replaced Mollie Spillman as chief marketing officer with one of her friends in the industry, former CEO of Lockerz Kathy Savitt, and hired Jacqueline Reses as executive vice-president of people and development.
Mayer also introduced ‘PB&J’ (process, bureaucracy and jams) at Yahoo!, an initiative to gather feedback and suggestions from employees on how to make their workplace better.
Under Mayer’s leadership, Yahoo! employees have also seen Friday FYI staff meetings, the elimination of mandatory orientation at the gym, free food in the cafeteria at Yahoo!’s Sunnyvale, California, headquarters, and the removal of parking lot barriers and turned off turnstiles at the Sunnyvale headquarters, as well.
Mayer has also moved employees away from the BlackBerry in favour of brand new smartphones running iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8.
If all that wasn’t enough, Mayer gave birth to her first child, a son named Macallister, at the end of September. Two weeks later, she was back in the office. Read full article>>