Indra Nooyi named top US businesswoman for 5th year

PepsiCo Inc chief Indra Nooyi is the most powerful woman in US business for the fifth year in a row, but Yahoo Inc boss Carol Bartz is the highest paid, Fortune magazine said on Wednesday.

Bartz earned more than $47 million in 2009 and was ranked No 10 on the 2010 most powerful women list, while Nooyi was the 10th highest paid with a salary of more than $14 million last year, Fortune said.

"Nooyi completed the purchase of PepsiCo's two largest bottlers, bringing revenues to a projected $60 billion," Fortune said.

"Now she'll have to deliver the $400 million annual cost savings she promised. Investors seem assured: The stock is up 12% since September 2009."

The most powerful list ranked women in for-profit businesses. It was based on the size and importance of the business in the global economy, the health and direction of the business, the arc of the woman's career, her social and cultural relevance.

The second most powerful businesswoman was Kraft Foods chief executive Irene Rosenfeld, who led a hostile $18 billion takeover of Britain's Cadbury, No 3 was Archer Daniels Midland chief executive Patricia Woertz, followed by Wellpoint chief executive Angela Braly.

Avon Products Andrea Jung came in at No 5, while media mogul and talk show host Oprah Winfrey was the sixth most powerful businesswoman, followed by DuPont chief executive Ellen Kullman, IBM Senior vice-president Ginni Rometty and Xerox chief executive Ursula Burns.

Bartz rounded out the top ten, with Fortune saying: "A year and a half into her tenure, this candid leader is accused of lacking a vision for Yahoo. Despite partnerships with Nokia and Microsoft, investors aren't impressed: The stock is down 15% this year."

Behind Bartz, Oracle President Safra Catz was the second highest paid woman, earning more than $36 million in 2009, followed by former Schering-Plough executive Carrie Cox with $23 million, Kraft's Rosenfeld with $22 million and Annaly Capital Management's chief investment officer Wellington Denahan-Norris with more than $21 million.