FORTUNE's annual ranking of America's leading businesswomen
Chua Sock Koong Rank: 50 (2004 rank: 43)
Company: Singapore Telecommunications Based in: Singapore Title: Chief Financial Officer
Chua has endured a tough year, presiding over state-owned SingTel's first profit warning since it was partially privatized 12 years ago. The 47-year-old Singapore University—trained accountant has been instrumental in stitching together one of Asia's best telcos, which gets about 70% of its $6.5 billion in revenue from outside Singapore. One of those investments, the purchase of Australia's Optus, which accounts for half of SingTel's revenue and a third of its profit, has given Chua the most grief this year, as mobile growth in that country has ground to a halt.
From the November 14, 2005 issue
Highest pay
These women are among the highest paid in corporate America. All of them are employed by companies with over $1 billion in sales that filed proxies by September 1, 2005.
Newcomer Charlene Begley heads up GE's plastics division and is the youngest of this group at age 39. She bumped last year's youngest gun, Citigroup CFO Sallie Krawcheck, now 40. But, on average, the Power 50 are in their late 40s.
