Fortune’s List of the 10 Most Powerful Women in Information Technology

Each year for the past two decades, Fortune Magazine has released its list of the Most Powerful Women in the world. The list, which includes 51 women, is based in part on the success of their businesses. But it’s also based on the economic impact their corporations have on the world as well as their personal influence on people. And at the top of this year’s list is General Motors chairman and CEO Mary Barra. But the list also includes the most powerful women in the information technology industry, according to the Forbes list. This slide show will cover the ten most powerful women in the technology sector they became so important both to their companies and the industry.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has been credited with provided the operational leadership that has helped drive the social network’s growth since founder Mark Zuckerberg hired her in 2008. Facebook’s 57 percent ad revenue growth in 2016, coupled with Sandberg’s support for women’s health and immigration reform made her one of the most powerful women in the world.

IBM CEO Ginni Rometty has been facing some challenges with slumping revenue, but she is still regarded as one of the most successful chief executives in any industry, let alone information technology. What’s more, Rometty has positioned IBM to grow in critical markets, including the cloud, mobile, and security.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise chief executive Meg Whitman has worked hard over the past several years to rebuild an ailing Hewlett Packard. As chief executive, Whitman has made some tough decisions to get the iconic company back on track, but has faced criticism because HPE has struggled to grow and its stock has underperformed the broader market.

Oracle Co-CEO Safra Catz might be one of the most successful women in this roundup at expanding a company and improving upon its success. Starting in the mid-2000s, she had a major role in Oracle’s corporate expansion program in which the company spent billions of dollars to acquire scores of software and information technology companies. She also presided over the growth of Oracle’s cloud computing business to the tune of $4.6 billion. She’s also active in STEM programs to educate children.

Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat has had an important role is fine tuning the company balance sheet. She has helped Alphabet, Google’s parent company, improve its profitability and given the company the financial latitude to invest in market sectors that could prove critical to its growth in the coming years.

Apple Senior Vice President Angela Ahrendts has made her presence felt in important ways since joining Apple. She has worked to revamp the company’s retail stores and improve customer experience. This has helped ensure that Apple’s retail stores continue to generate billions of dollars in revenue and profits year after year.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has helped transform YouTube from a costly digital warehouse of user-generated video that had millions of viewers, but scant revenue into a true entertainment powerhouse and revenue generator for Google. Wojcicki’s leadership has ensured that YouTube will play a prominent role in Google future profit growth going forward.

Microsoft CFO Amy Hood leadership is one of the factors for the company’s recent success in cloud computing and software-as-a-service businesses. Since being appointed CFO in 2013 Overall Hood helped Microsoft revitalize the company’s business strategy and get the company’s revenue and profits back on track.  

Best Buy’s retail chief Shari Ballard has been critical to the company’s recent renaissance. Despite operating in the retailing industry where many once successful brick and mortar store chains have struggled and failed, Best Buy has watched its profits soar and its appeal to tech buyers grow, thanks to Ballard’s strategy. It wasn’t long ago that some questioned Best Buy’s future. Now, because of Ballard, the company’s future is bright.

Bridget Van Kralingen is senior vice president of Industry Platforms at IBM overseeing the efforts of more than 100,000 consultants and service providers. As head of a division that supports vertical-industry customers, Van Kralingen is eyeing ways to leverage blockchain and other emerging technologies to grow new revenue streams.