American Billboard Women CEOs Face Hard Trials

American women CEOs, whose exceptional business skills are widely acknowledged, are facing difficulties as a result of the bad economy and forced to deal with the loss of job security.

CEO Linda Wachner who led the Warnaco Group Inc., which is known for its Speedo swimwear, for 15 years received her note of termination from the board of directors on November 16. The premier senior women CEO in the American business world, Wachner is the central figure responsible for transforming the medium-sized Warnaco Group into a top producer for undergarments. The company welcomed her aggressive management style when the business was on the rise. When sales suffered a huge decline in the last two to three years, however, her style of doing things became a cause of complaint in the management and separation of affiliate companies.

Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who was recently selected as the top woman executive in American by Fortune magazine, is also facing difficulty. After the announcement of the plan for merger between HP and Compaq Computer Corporation in September, stocks fell nearly in half and recently the HP family announced its opposition to the plan. In the case that the merger falls through, it is expected that Fiorina will have to step down.

Mi-Kyung Jung mickey@donga.com