Few executives epitomize the success of women in finance like Nooyi. The span of her responsibilities at Pepsi is impressive, beginning with finance, strategy, business process optimization, corporate platforms and innovation and ending with investor relations and information technology. At 49, she is the only one of T&RM's 25 women who holds a top operational title as well as one in finance. Prior to joining Pepsi in 1994, Nooyi held senior strategy and planning positions at Asea Brown Boveri, Motorola Inc. and the Boston Consulting Group.

Education: B.S., Madras Christian College in Madras, India; M.B.A., Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta; M.A. in public and private management, Yale University

Kathryn Cassidy

Vice President and Treasurer

General Electric Co.

A 25-year G.E. veteran, Cassidy, 51, led early securitization efforts in 1987 in asset-backed consumer and commercial products. Since then, Cassidy has burned brightly in a series of positions, including managing director for GE Capital Real Estate, where she was central to strategic ventures and Mexican operations. Between 1996 and 2000, she led the company's Real Estate Capital Markets business, where she was responsible for building the CMBS and institutional capital business for small and large loans.

Education: B.A., University of Connecticut; M.B.A., Fordham University

Jennifer Ceran

Vice President and Treasurer

eBay Inc.

Before eBay, the 42-year-old Ceran trained at two outstanding treasuries–Cisco Systems Inc. and Sara Lee Corp.–so her fast rise to treasurer comes as no surprise. At eBay since 2003, she is developing what will become best-practice work in enterprise risk management and overseeing the company's global cash infrastructure.

Education: B.A. in communications and French, Vanderbilt University; M.B.A., University of Chicago Graduate School of Business

Janet F. Clark

Senior Vice President and CFO

Marathon Oil Corp.

The 50-year-old Clark may have started her career on Wall Street but since 1997 she has been mostly a CFO. By the time she arrived at Marathon in 2004, she already had served as CFO of both Santa Fe Energy Resources and Nuevo Energy, with a two-year stint as executive vice president for corporate development and administration at Santa Fe.

Education: B.A. in economics, Harvard University; M.B.A. in finance, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School

Susan Decker

Executive Vice President and CFO

Yahoo! Inc.

Before Yahoo!, Decker was a star on Wall Street, heading up Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette's $300 million equity research operation. And leave it to an analyst to decide to jump in 2000, after the Internet bubble popped, to one of the few dot-com wonders likely to survive and thrive–although many would name the 42-year-old Decker as a key driver behind Yahoo!'s success.

Education: B.S. in computer science and economics, Tufts University; M.B.A., Harvard Business School

Mary Jo Green

Senior Vice President and Treasurer

Sony Corp. of America

The 57-year-old Green has moved from one challenge to the next–from director of corporate treasury at Schering-Plough Corp., to treasurer at Pitney Bowes Inc., to her current role at Sony's U.S. division. Besides her normal treasurer duties, Green works closely with Sony's entertainment and electronics business units on financial strategies and policies and evaluating investment opportunities.

Education: B.A. in economics, Rutgers Newark College of Arts and Sciences; M.B.A. in accounting, Rutgers Graduate School of Business Administration

Linda Harty

Senior Vice President and Treasurer

Cardinal Health Inc.

It's not every treasurer that brings a C.P.A. to the job. For the 45-year-old Harty, that's only the beginning of what she offers her $74.9 billion pharma employer: She also comes with a wealth of experience at large companies, including service as treasurer at ConAgra Foods Inc. and BellSouth Corp., where she worked on the company's shared service system.

Education: B.B.A. in finance, the University of Wisconsin

Martina Hund-Mejean

Senior Vice President and Treasurer

Tyco International Ltd.

Hund-Mejean should be known as treasury's Ms. Fix-it. Part of the diaspora from the fertile treasury grounds at General Motors Corp., Hund-Mejean, 45, went first to Lucent Technologies Inc., where she closed a credibility gap between the troubled telecom and its bankers with new financial discipline and by reducing $8 billion in ill-advised vendor financing.

Education: M.A. in economics, University of Freiburg in Germany; M.B.A., the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business

Christine Komola

enior Vice President and Corporate Controller

Staples Inc.

Komola has faced a varied set of challenges since joining the $14.4 billion office supply chain in 1997 from Ernst & Young LLP, where she was an audit manager. After starting as assistant controller, Komola, 38, spearheaded the development of the Staples dot-com storefront, then served as general merchandise manager, overseeing wholesaler relationships. She was appointed corporate controller in mid-2004.

Education: B.S. in accounting, Miami University

Sallie L. Krawcheck

CFO and Head of Strategy

Citigroup Inc.

Anyway you define winner in business, 40-year-old Krawcheck is among the chosen. In the financial world, her experience is vast despite her age, spanning operational leadership as former CEO of both Smith Barney and Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. She now heads up Citi's financial reporting, treasury, tax, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning.

Education: B.A., University of North Carolina; M.B.A., Columbia University Graduate School of Business

Sara Mathew

CFO and Leader in Strategy

Dun & Bradstreet Corp.

Mathew, 50, booked a deep set of skills in finance and global brand building before she became D&B's CFO in 2001. She spent 18 years at Procter & Gamble Co., where she became vice president of finance for its Asian operations. As a member of D&B's global leadership team, she is seen as a key shaper of the research database company's rapid global expansion in recent years.

Education: B.S. in physics, chemistry and mathematics, Women's Christian College in Madras, India; M.B.A., Xavier University

Jane Hamilton Nielsen

Vice President of Finance, North America

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc.

Nielsen, 41, spent six years at PepsiCo Inc., working on corporate business development and strategic planning, before joining the bottling group as vice president of worldwide strategic planning in 2001. Currently, Nielsen leads finance and planning at the $8 billion North American division. She is a member of the North American Operating Committee and chairs the Capital Investment Committee.

Education: B.A. in economics, Smith College; M.B.A., Harvard Business School

Ann Marie Petach

Vice President and Treasurer

Ford Motor Co.

Her 21 years of finance experience at Ford will come in handy as Petach works to improve the automaker's credit ratings. Her background ranges from global banking to debt management to pension management. The 45-year-old Petach also worked overseas for the company, in Europe as treasurer of AutoEuropa and in Latin America as assistant treasurer of AutoLatina.

Education: B.A. in business and Spanish, Muhlenburg College; M.B.A., Carnegie Mellon University

Cathy Ross

Senior Vice President and CFO

FedEx Express

Ross oversees the finances of FedEx Express, the overnight delivery business that is FedEx's biggest subsidiary. Named CFO in 2004, she led the unit to a 125% increase in operating income in FY2005. As CFO, Ross also is in charge of the ongoing effort to roll up purchasing, invoicing and collections in 52 different countries into three shared service centers. In 2005, she was included in a Booz Allen Hamilton book, CFO Thought Leaders.

Education: B.S. in accounting, Christian Brothers University; M.B.A., Memphis State University

Rhonda L. Seegal

Vice President and Treasurer

Xerox Corp.

Since she arrived at Xerox, Seegal, 55, has been busy working to improve the company's financial position. Earlier, she spent time at a number of major U.S. corporations, serving as treasurer at Avaya Inc. and developing financing for General Electric Co.'s industrial businesses as a deputy treasurer. In 2005, Treasury & Risk Management named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance.

Education: B.A. in communications and Spanish, Simmons College; M.B.A., Harvard Business School

Valarie L. Sheppard

Vice President and Comptroller

Procter & Gamble Co.

The 41-year-old Sheppard was named controller of the consumer products giant last summer after 19 years with the company. After starting as a tax analyst, Sheppard's assignments have run the gamut of finance, from profit forecaster to associate director of acquisitions and divestitures to serving as finance director for a group of products in Northeast Asia.

Education: B.S. in accounting and M.S. in industrial administration, Purdue University's Krannert School of Management

Irina Simmons

Senior Vice President and Treasurer

EMC Corp.

Simmons leads a world-class treasury at EMC Corp., an $8.23 billion provider of information storage and management solutions. At EMC, the 43-year-old is responsible for risk and liquidity management; investment of more than $6 billion in cash reserves; investment banking relationships; and retirement plans that serve nearly 24,000 employees. She currently serves as the chair of the National Association of Corporate Treasurers.

Education: B.A. in economics and French, Tufts University; M.B.A., Boston University

E. Follin Smith

Executive Vice President, CFO and Chief Administration Officer

Constellation Energy Group Inc.

Smith, 45, was already a seasoned manager when she came in as CFO at $12.5 billion Constellation. She began her career at General Motors Corp.'s treasury department in 1985. She then took two CFO posts–first at GM's Delphi Chassis Systems division and then at Armstrong Holdings Inc. At Constellation, Smith is central to the company's acquisitions and planning strategies.

Education: B.A., Davidson College; M.B.A., University of Virginia's Darden School of Business

Sarah E. Smith

Chief Accounting Officer and Controller

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Smith brings her considerable experience in accounting to the $29.8 billion brokerage. Before joining Goldman in 1996, the 46-year-old worked in the national and audit practices of KPMG LLP in both New York and London, as well as in the finance department of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Smith is the past chair of the Dealer Accounting Committee of the Securities Industry Association.

Education: Dip. Acc., City University in London

Felicia Thornton

Executive Vice President and CFO

Albertson's Inc.

Admittedly, Thornton's industry has not had the easiest time since Wal-Mart decided to get into the grocery business. And her company has been on the auction block for months. But the 41-year-old Thornton's substantial experience and Six Sigma analytical chops make her ripe for picking.

B.S. in economics, Santa Clara University; M.B.A. in corporate finance and marketing, University of Southern California

Doreen Toben

Executive Vice President and CFO

Verizon Communications Inc.

Since taking the finance helm at Verizon in 2002, Toben has been working to reduce the company's debt load. The 55-year-old has moved up the ranks at Verizon and Bell Atlantic, working in operations and marketing as well as finance, after starting her career at AT&T in 1983. In 2005, Treasury & Risk Management named Toben one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance.

Education: A.B. in political science, Rosemont College; M.B.A. in finance and marketing, Fairleigh Dickinson University

Susan Tomasky

Executive Vice President and CFO

American Electric Power Co.

Tomasky, 52, is the rare CFO with a legal rather than financial background. But in the specialized world of energy policy and regulation, that's a valuable commodity. In 1993 she became general counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). She moved to the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson LLP as a partner before joining AEP in 1998 as senior vice president and general counsel.

Education: B.A. in history and political science, University of Kentucky; J.D., George Washington University National Law Center

Carol B. Tom?? 1/2

Executive Vice President and CFO

Home Depot Inc.

Since she was named CFO in 2001, Tom?? 1/2 , 48, has transformed the finance group into a strategic engine at the mammoth home improvement chain. Before joining Home Depot as its first treasurer in 1995, Tome was treasurer at Riverwood International Corp. and worked at Johns Manville Corp.

Education: B.A. in communication, University of Wyoming; M.B.A. in finance, University of Denver

Tracey Travis

Senior Vice President and CFO

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.

As CFO of the apparel and home furnishings company, Travis occupies the intersection of finance and fashion, a territory she staked out in previous positions as senior vice president of finance at Limited Brands Inc. and CFO of a Limited Brands spinoff, Intimate Brands. Travis, 43, started her career as a financial analyst at General Motors Corp. and spent 10 years in finance and operations roles at the Pepsi Bottling Group.

Education: B.S. in industrial engineering, University of Pittsburgh; M.B.A. in finance and operations management, Columbia University Graduate School of Business

Mary A. Winston

Executive Vice President and CFO

Scholastic Inc.

As a former controller and treasurer of Visteon Corp., the 43-year-old Winston brings to the table the full complement of skills necessary to be a visionary finance executive, including critical work early in her career in business development and strategy for the pharmaceutical industry. In 2003, she was one of Treasury & Risk Management's 100 Most Influential People in Finance.

Education: B.A. in accounting and information systems, University of Wisconsin; M.B.A., Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management