45. Claire Watts
EVP, Product Development, Apparel, and Home Merchandising,
Wal-Mart Stores
(WMT)
2005 rank: 43 Age: 46 Watts is masterminding Wal-Mart's makeover from budget basic to cheap chic, part of the superstore's strategy to get customers who come for low-margin staples to shop the whole floor. She has added an upmarket women's collection and a line, inspired by hip-hop, for young men that hits stores this fall. She also oversees "hard home" categories like lawn, paint, and stationery.
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