2006 rank: 17
Age: 50
Desmond-Hellmann, who started as a clinical scientist at Genentech in 1995, has a dream: to flood the market with breakthrough cancer drugs. In 2006 the $9.3 billion company took a step in that direction. Oncology sales passed the $5 billion mark, making Genentech tops in the U.S. in that category. Desmond-Hellmann was named 2006 Woman of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association.
