The Greatest Stories of Female Entrepreneurs of The 21st Century

September 16, 2013 

by Clare O’Connor

When Alice Walton, heiress of the Walmart fortune, opened a $500 million art center in Bentonville, Ark., she had her share of critics. “There was a lot of skepticism about what Alice and her family were up to, and whether it was a vanity project,” says the museum’s director, Don Bacigalupi. “It built into Alice an awareness of the prejudices against a small town and the South and all of that.” But her commitment to building up such an impressive collection and bringing it to an overlooked spot in the country slowly brought out fans—and ensured her legacy. 

May 28, 2014

by Joann Muller

Mary Barra was facing down an urgent test of leadership when Muller profiled her in 2014. Her ascension as the first female CEO of a Big Three automaker was overshadowed by an ignition recall in more than two million GM vehicles; the faulty part had led to 31 accidents and killed 13 people. The company had run through five CEOs in the prior six years, too, giving way to legitimate questions about whether Barra’s time in the CEO suite would be short lived. Barra proved her mettle, steering the company through the recall crisis, and, more recently, a global pandemic. Now her eye is on an electric future: Barra recently announced plans to exclusively offer electric vehicles by 2035.