As women athletes, we know that the experiences we gain from competition can translate beyond the sport we play. The dedication, hard work, and commitment that is necessary for us to excel at our sport translates to success in academics and professional pursuits. According to Fortune’s 2017list of the “Most Powerful Women,” 65 percent of the leaders played sports competitively in high school or college. Similarly, in a study done by accounting firm Ernst & Young,96 percent of C-suite female executives were athletes. Here are five women who used to play collegiate sports, and are now running the corporate world.
Hanneke Faber
Hanneke Faber was born in the Netherlands, and started her athletic career in diving. She competed at the World Diving Championships in Spain in 1986 as a 17 year old and was ranked 19th. She continued her diving career at the University of Houston.
After graduating with a degree in journalism and a masters in business administration, she was hired by Procter & Gamble, and is now the president of foods and refreshment for Unilever, the company that owns some of our favorite brands, like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Last year, she was ranked the 23rd most powerful woman internationally.
Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix was born in California and went on to compete collegiately for the University of Southern California. Throughout her professional track career as a 200m and 400m sprinter, Felix has competed at 5 Olympic Games, winning 11 Olympic medals, along with 13 gold and 19 total World Championship medals. This makes her the most successful American track and field athlete in history. After retiring, Felix started Saysh, her own shoe brand that is designed for women, and “represents hope, acceptance, and the power to create change.” In addition to being the CEO of Saysh, Felix is also the first VOICEINSPORT Founding Athlete!
Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi was born in India, and is now the CEO of PepsiCo. She played cricket in college, where she received bachelor’s degrees in physics, chemistry and mathematics. She went on to earn a master’s degree in public and private management in Yale. Nooyi is consistently ranked among the most powerful women. The 2017 Forbes list named her the second-most powerful woman in business.
Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman graduated from Princeton University, where she was a two-sport athlete, competing on the squash and lacrosse teams. She highlights the influence of sports in her book, “The Power of Many.” In her book, she said “when I’m pulling a business team together, I still use those basketball aphorisms I learned as a young player: Let’s pass the ball around a little before game time.”
Whitman is now the CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP), one of the largest electronics firms in the world.
Susan Wojcicki
Susan Wojcicki was a swimmer at Harvard University, where she majored in history and literature. She went on to earn a masters degree in economics and a masters in business administration, all while competing as a Division 1 student-athlete. Wojcicki rented her garage out to the founders of Google and is now the CEO of Youtube. Time described her as “the most powerful woman on the internet.”
Lynn Laverty Elsenhans
Lynn L. Elsenhans was a member of Rice University's first women’s basketball team. She lettered in 1974 and 1975 while majoring in applied mathematics. She earned an MBA from Harvard. Elsenhans went on to become the first woman to run a major oil company, Sunoco, and was called a “trailblazer” byInsider.
