More Women Are Primed to Land CEO Roles

With only 35 of the Fortune 1000 companies employing a female in the top CEO position there is still a long way to go for woman eyeing the top position within a company.  However according to this WSJ article More Women Are Primed to Land CEO Roles this is a trend that could be heading in an upward direction.

• "If you want a CEO role, you have to prepare for it with a vengeance," says Denise Morrison, chief of Campbell Soup Co.   Ms. Morrison says she cultivated ties with leaders of other food makers by attending food-industry events in her off hours. Joining a corporate board outside their industry also helps prepare executive women for CEO spots, she adds, as directorships can show rising talent how chief executives get things done.

• The next wave of women who will command major U.S. corporations likely are senior managers today. "Some phenomenally well-qualified women" hold top operational jobs, says Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont Co.
• Nearly 73% of Fortune 500 companies now have at least one female executive officer, though women comprise just 14% of executive officers, according to Catalyst, a New York research group.
• In good news for the pipeline, a study conducted by McKinsey & Co. for The Wall Street Journal, to be released Monday, found that 24% of senior vice presidents at 58 big companies are now women.