Executives in pension fund management and other investment and finance services are prominent among Black Enterprise's listing of the 50 Most Powerful Black Women in Business.
The February issue of the New York-based magazine cited the women for their authority over budgets "that affect the fiscal health and direction of their businesses." They include: Vicki R. Palmer, executive vice president-financial services and administration, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., Atlanta, who oversees the company's treasury department, including its $1.8 billion pension fund and $1.2 billion 401(k) plan, as well as the company's $11 billion multicurrency debt portfolio; Vicki L. Fuller, senior vice president and senior portfolio manager, Alliance Capital Management Corp., New York; Mellody Hobson, president, Ariel Capital Management LLC, Chicago; Valerie Mosley Diamond, senior vice president and fixed-income-portfolio manager, Wellington Management Co., Boston; Denise L. Nappier, treasurer, State of Connecticut, and sole trustee of the $21.9 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, Hartford; and JoAnn H. Price, general partner, Fairview Capital Partners, Farmington, Conn.
"I was honored to be on the list with such impressive women," Ms. Hobson said. "We know there is not a lot of diversity in our industry yet. We can do better."
"Women bring tremendous expertise and ability to the corporate board room, and their contributions can, and do, make a significant difference to the bottom line. … I can't help but believe that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of women of color who are ready, able and extraordinarily capable of contributing to restoring public confidence in American business and boosting our economy to new heights of success," Ms. Nappier said in a statement.
Other investment or finance professionals included in the list are: Carla A. Harris and Melissa James, both managing directors of global capital markets of Morgan Stanley, New York; Edith W. Cooper, head of North American hedge fund distribution-fixed income, currencies and commodities, Goldman Sachs & Co., New York; Amy Ellis-Simon, managing director, head of multiproduct sales, Merrill Lynch & Co., New York; and Donna A. James, president, Nationwide Strategic Investments, Columbus, Ohio.
