50 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN 2007

The Power 50

Business has its ups and downs, and so, naturally, do women in business. (Bye-bye, Martha!) But the story of this list is one of achievement: The credentials of these women, including the 13 newcomers, are the strongest yet.

By Katie Benner, Eugenia Levenson, and Rupali Arora

1 of 50

1. Indra Nooyi

Chairman and CEO
PepsiCo (PEP)

2006 rank: 1
Age: 51

All the arrows are pointing in the right direction, with revenues ($35.1 billion), operating profits ($6.4 billion), and earnings per share ($3) all rising strongly last year. The 2001 Quaker Foods acquisition, in which Nooyi played a key role, is working out well, and Pepsi International, a priority for the company and a particular interest for the Indian-born Nooyi, is coming on strong too; its revenues rose 14%, to $13 billion, and operating profits rose 21%, to $1.9 billion. Oh, and in May, Nooyi added the title of chairman to her own portfolio.