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View from the Top: Brenda Barnes: Additional Reading

Tuesday, February 10, 2009
View from the Top

Brenda Barnes, Chairman and CEO Sara Lee Corporation

 

 

In the late 1990s, Brenda Barnes shocked the business world by leaving her high-profile position as the highest-ranking female executive at Pepsi Co. to devote her time and attention to her family. While she occasionally worked over the next few years, it was not until 2004 that she whole-heartedly returned to the corporate world. At that time, she became an executive at Sara Lee Corporation, and soon launched a re-structuring of the company.

In February of 2005, Barnes was promoted to president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Sara Lee. At the time of her promotion, Sara Lee was undergoing a substantial reorganization which Barnes played a significant role in initiating. Earnings in fiscal 2004 were flat, and the company was making bold but risky plans to sell or spin off its $4.5 billion apparel business to concentrate on food, beverage, household, and body items as well as its foodservice business. Both moves were initially supported by Wall Street, though by divesting apparel interests, the company would be losing brands which accounted for 40 percent of its total revenue. Barnes believed the change would both simplify and make operations better, resulting in the same profits on smaller revenue five years down the line. It would also better focus sales for retailers as it was believed that Sara Lee had too many items to offer from multiple sales forces.

In October of 2005, Barnes was promoted again, when she was named chairman for Sara Lee. The move made Barnes in charge of the largest female-run company in the Fortune 500. More

Selected Articles

Due to contractual arrangements, remote access is only available to the current Stanford community and the subscribers of the "Library Databases" offered through the GSB Alumni's Lifelong Learning Program. Other access is limited to onsite at Jackson Library. Inclusion below does not imply University endorsement of ideas expressed.

Check Out Line: Food vs foreign currency. Reuters, 2/4/09
Sara Lee and Kraft Foods joining the “stronger dollar” bandwagon.
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A Slimmed-Down Sara Lee Begins Seeking Acquisitions. WSJ, 2/20/08
Ms. Barnes told analysts at a food-industry conference that the company has four criteria for acquisitions: to build on its core businesses of meat, baked goods, coffee and tea, and household and body-care products; to give it depth in current markets; to expand its geographic position; and to provide opportunities that would pair it with merger or joint-venture partners.
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33 Brenda Barnes. SN:Supermarket News, 7/23/07
The article features Brenda Barnes, chairman and CEO of Sara Lee Corp., and the developments in the company. It notes that the company is building the Kitchens of Sara Lee research and development facility at its headquarters. According to Barnes, the company has become a smaller and more focused company under her leadership.
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Reorganizing at Sara Lee Includes a New Chief. New York Times, 2/11/05
In a broad reorganization, Sara Lee named a new chief executive and announced plans to divest four businesses that together account for 40 percent of the company's revenue.
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Selected Websites

Sara Lee Corporation

Sara Lee Courts Stay-at-Home Moms With Paid Internships

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