Christi Strauss, president, General Mills Canada, Toronto

Strauss started her rise to president when she joined the packaged goods company in 1986. Ten years later she was SVP, marketing. Today, as president, she oversees one of the largest companies in Canada with brands that include Betty Crocker, Green Giant and Old El Paso. She's credited with overseeing a rather smooth merger between Pillsbury and General Mills here in Canada, when the brand was bought globally in 2001.

Beyond the boardroom:

* She serves on the executive committee of Food & Consumer Product Manufacturers of Canada and chairs the Canadian Food Information Council.

* She is on the board of Toronto-based office-furniture company Teknion and The Stratford Festival as well as chairs the Ontario Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization, and the United Way of Peel.