Last issue, we presented some potential nominees for the Most Powerful Asian Man in America. This time, we’re showcasing five for the Most Powerful Asian Woman in America poll.

While Asian American female powerhouses were a bit more difficult to uncover, below are five amazing women who have come to command respect and secure some of the most powerful positions in business and politics in the world today.


Indra Nooyi: Indra Nooyi is the Chairman and CEO of the world's fourth-largest food and beverage company, PepsiCo.

Ms. Nooyi was born in India in 1955 and immigrated to the United States in the 1970s to pursue a Master's Degree in Management from Yale University. She joined PepsiCo in 1994 and was named CFO in 2000. After playing a key role in the acquisition of Quaker Foods, she was appointed to the position of CEO by its board of directors in October of 2006.

According to BusinessWeek, since Ms. Nooyi became CEO, the company’s annual revenues have risen a whopping 72%, while net profit more than doubled to $5.6 billion in 2006.

In addition to serving on the board of directors of several organizations including Motorola, the Federal Bank of New York, the International Rescue Committee, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Ms. Nooyi is also a Successor Fellow at Yale Corporation. However, Ms. Nooyi is not all work and no play; she was once a cricket player, a member of an all-girl rock band, and is a die-hard fan of the NY Yankees (hey, there's no accounting for taste).

She was declared "The World's Most Powerful Woman in Business" in 2006 and 2007 by Fortune Magazine, held the #5 ranking in Forbes' 2007 "The World's Most Powerful Women," has been named in the Wall Street Journal's list of "50 Women to Watch," and has also been listed in Time Magazine's 2007 "Time 100: The People Who Shape Our World." In short, Ms. Nooyi knows what she is doing. Go Yankees...


Andrea Jung: At the age of 49, Andrea Jung is one of the youngest females to top "Most Powerful Women in Business" lists everywhere. She is the first female head of the world's premier direct seller of beauty products, Avon.

She was born in Toronto to immigrant parents from Hong Kong and China, received her Bachelor's Degree in 1979 from Princeton University, and joined Avon in 1994. In 1999, after Avon's shares dropped 50% due to a horrible fourth quarter performance under Charles Perrin, the reins were passed to Ms. Jung, who then steered Avon to global success.

While successfully reestablishing Avon as "The Company for Women," Andrea also finds time to serve on the board of directors of both Apple and GE, as well as contributing large amounts to breast cancer charities.


Christine Poon: Missouri-born Christine Poon is the Vice Chairman of Johnson & Johnson. Named Business Leader of the Future by CNBC/Wall Street Journal in 2005, ranked #17 in Fortune Magazine's "The World's Most Powerful Women in Business" list in 2007, and with a $7.8 million paycheck in 2006, she’s another promising candidate for our poll.

She graduated with a degree in Biology from Northwestern University, earning her Master's in Biology and Biochemistry from St. Louis University and then returning to school for her MBA in Finance from Boston University.

Ms. Poon joined the pharmaceutical giant, J&J, in 2000 and is the top-seated woman "and one of the most respected" in the industry. She also sits on the board of Prudential Financial, Inc. and the Fox Chase Cancer Center.


Elaine Chao: Elaine Chao is the 24th United States Secretary of Labor. She is the first Chinese-American to be appointed into a President's cabinet and is arguably one of the most powerful Asian Americans in America today. She is the longest-serving cabinet member under President Bush and is the only original member remaining from his first term.

She was born in Taipei, Taiwan on March 26, 1953, and immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 8. Ms. Chao acquired her B.A. in Economics from Mount Holyoke College in 1975, her MBA from Harvard Business School, and twenty-nine honorary doctoral degrees from colleges and universities around the world.

Her many accomplishments include updating the white collar overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, setting new worker protection enforcement records, and the Pension Protection Act in 2006.


Yvonne Lee: Ms. Lee was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 1995, a bi-partisan fact-finding federal agency responsible for monitoring and investigating civil rights violations and concerns in the United States.

She's established herself as a major community advocate for civil rights, especially concerning Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Her other notable achievements include the heading of a public policy and media relations consulting business, writing opinion columns for a major Asian language magazine, and receiving numerous honors and awards in recognition for her thirty years of public service such as World Journal's "Twenty-Five Most Influential Chinese-American Immigrants" and 2006 California State Legislature Woman of the Year.

She was appointed to San Francisco's Police Commission in 2006.


Please, send all your nominations to editor@aDiversity.com. Thank you, in advance, for your feedback!