American female CEOs get a lot of hype. Marissa Mayer attracts attention for the smallest of moves (read: acquisition of Sumly, a mashup with no intellectual property, no revenue and no users). Meg Whitman, like Ms. Mayer, fusses over logo design choices while her company, HP, burns. Ms. Whitman’s tenure at Ebay marked the transition of the company from internet bellweather to also ran. Carley Fiorina, an unmitigated disaster of a CEO while at HP, is rumoured to be running for President and constantly in the news.
Lost in the flash of female celebrity CEOs is Safra Catz, co-CEO of software juggernaut Oracle. Known for keeping out of the headlines (aside from her massive compensation), Ms. Catz has presided over one of the most successful female careers in modern history.
Often cited as the highest-paid female executive, with a reported compensation of $51.7 million in 2011, Catz’s savvy dealmaking skills have led to acquisitions in the billions. Righthand woman to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, she has overseen major M&A opportunities, including the $10.3 billion “hostile” acquisition of PeopleSoft and another $7.4 billion deal for Sun Microsystems.
Not only is she successful, she is also high in character. In Sept. 2013 Catz rejected her $717,000 bonus over Oracle’s poor financial performance. This stands in stark contrast to Ms. Mayer who once flew cupcakes on a private jet to a Sex and the City screening party.
America has plenty of fine female executives and its time the ones delivering results get the attention they deserve.
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