KU News Release

Two KU alumnae on list of top 100 most powerful women in the world

LAWRENCE — Two University of Kansas graduates, business leaders Cynthia Carroll and Linda Zarda Cook, are listed among the world’s 100 most powerful women, according to the most recent Forbes magazine.

Cynthia Carroll

At seventh on the list is 1982 KU graduate Cynthia Carroll, the first woman to become chief executive at Anglo American, one of the world’s largest independent mining companies. Anglo American owns a 45 percent stake in diamond company DeBeers; a 49 percent stake in MMX Minas-Rio, a Brazilian iron ore concern; and a 42 percent interest in AngloGold Ashanti, a gold concern.

Forbes describes Carroll as “a powerhouse in the world of commodities, a sector crucial to the world’s economy. And within the corridors of world governments, she is a force to be reckoned with.”

A New Jersey native, Carroll, 49, earned a master’s degree in geology at KU before earning an MBA at Harvard. She started her career in gas and oil exploration as a petroleum geologist for Amoco. She later joined Alcan, a multinational aluminum company and become president and chief executive officer of its Primary Metal Group. She was named Anglo-American’s CEO in 2006. She is also a director of Sara Lee Corp., the American Aluminum Association and the International Aluminum Institute.

Linda Zarda Cook

At 44th on the list is Linda Zarda Cook, a Shawnee native who earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from KU in 1980. Now the executive director of gas and power for Royal Dutch Shell, Cook is in the running to become CEO of the company in 2009, which would make her the first woman to lead an international oil company. In her current role, Cook oversees natural gas, wind and solar energy development, including development of new natural gas markets in such places as Qatar. She is a member of the China Development Forum, the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the board of directors for the Boeing Co.

Forbes’ list is led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The complete list is on the Forbes Web site.

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