Ann M. Fudge
Encyclopedia
Ann Marie Fudge is former chairman
and CEO
of Young & Rubicam
Brands, a global network of marketing communications companies. In early 2010, Fudge was appointed by President
Barack Obama
to his National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
(NCFRR).
through 12th grade. "She cited the riots
she lived through after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a 'hurtful' but formative experience. 'They made me incredibly determined,' she said. 'I wanted to do something that black people hadn't done before. When I hit roadblocks, that was what kept me going.' ... She grew up middle class in Washington, the first of two children born to a mother who was a manager at the National Security Agency
and a father who was an administrator at the Postal Service
. They stressed education ... and [Fudge also] credits the nuns for pushing her to do her best."
Fudge is a graduate of Simmons College
and Harvard Business School
, earning respectively BA (honors) in retail management, 1973; and MBA, 1977. In 1998, HBS Prof. Stephen A. Greyser recalled Fudge as "a solid citizen, a solid student."
Discussing her educational choices with Business Week in 2004, she said "When I was at Simmons College, I had this great professor -- Margaret Hennig. She was the one who encouraged me to think about business and apply to Harvard Business School. She and Ann Jardim wrote the first book on women in business, called The Managerial Woman, and founded the Simmons Graduate School of Business. I applied to Harvard Business School my senior year."
department store. The job included advising on teen-age fashions and a trip to fashion magazines in New York. After college, Fudge worked in the human resources department of the General Electric
Company before pursuing her MBA.
After Harvard, Fudge spent nine years at General Mills
. "Her biggest accomplishment there, she said, was her part as a marketing assistant on the team that developed Honey Nut Cheerios
. Today, it's one of the nation's biggest cereal brands." Fudge then served, ultimately, as president of the beverages, desserts and Post division, a $5 billion unit of Kraft Foods
. At Kraft, she served on the management committee and managed many businesses including Maxwell House
coffee, Gevalia
kaffe, Kool Aid, Crystal Light
, Post Cereals
, Jell-O
desserts, and Altoids
.
In 1998, Fudge was named by Fortune
magazine as 30th on the 50 Most Influential Women in American Business list (Carly Fiorina
#1 Oprah Winfrey
#2), while she was executive vice president at Kraft. At the time, coffee and cereals for which Fudge was responsible accounted for $2.7 billion (16%) of Kraft's $16.8 billion in sales. She also at the time sat on the boards of AlliedSignal
, Liz Claiborne
, (both as of 1993) and Catalyst
, Inc.
In 2001, after a year as president of the beverages et al. division at Kraft, "Fudge decided to retire. She related to Business Week that her choice to leave Kraft was based on a number of reasons. She had had a goal of retiring before age 50; she had dealt with the recent illness and death of her parents, some close friends and relatives. 'To be honest, I still haven't figured it out. ... It was definitely not dissatisfaction. It was stepping back and saying, "What are you really here for? What do you really want to accomplish?"' She spent two years reconnecting with friends and family and delving into community work. Her charitable work included work with a number of organizations, including the Executive Leadership Council, a non-profit group of high-level African American leaders in business, the Boys and Girls Club of America, Partnership for a Drug-Free America
, and the United Way, among others. From her time away, Fudge became inspired by the power individuals have to make a difference in the world."
Following the sabbatical, Fudge served as chair and chief executive officer of Young & Rubicam Brands from 2003 to 2007. In 2004, Business Week summed up some of the challenges facing her, saying Y&R "has suffered through poor management and a messy merger in recent years. The various units tend to work in isolation. The ad agency has lost some big clients. And employees are disgruntled ... [including] reports of animosity between Fudge and creative head Michael Patti."
Fudge was Inside the Boardroom guest, 2008, Carlson School of Management
at the University of Minnesota
.
In February, 2011, Fudge was featured by the Commonwealth Institute in Miami, Florida, and in April, 2011, Fudge spoke at the Economic Club of Minnesota.
In 2011, Fudge serves on the boards of directors of General Electric, Novartis
, and Unilever
. She also serves as chair of the U.S. Programs Advisory Board of The Gates Foundation; and she is a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation
, Brookings Institution
, the Council on Foreign Relations
and Morehouse College
. She has been a Morehouse trustee since April 2006. She also serves on the board of Buzzient, Inc, and served as vice chair of the Harvard Board of Overseers
.
In June, 2011, it was announced that Fudge would join the board of Indian technology and outsourcing
company Infosys
on 1 October, 2011, as an Additional Director. Fudge will be the sole woman on the board, and was recruited by retiring founder NR Narayana Murthy and nominations committee chair Jeffrey S. Lehman
. Murthy had served also on the Unilever board and knew Fudge from there.
In September, 2011, Fudge was one of six Hall of Fame honorees named in advance of the National Association of Corporate Directors
November gala in New York City
.
’s finance committee.
In early 2010, Fudge, an independent voter, was named by President Obama to the 18-member fiscal responsibility and reform commission, a bipartisan panel chaired by former Senator Alan K. Simpson
, (R
-WY
), and former White House Chief of Staff
Erskine Bowles
(D). The balance of the panel was three more members appointed by the President, six members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and six members of the U.S. Senate. The commission first met on April 27, 2010 and had a December report deadline. Though specific actions based on the report were limited, commission members who were also members of Congress reappeared in the so-called Gang of Six in spring and summer, 2011, in the debt-ceiling-increase debate.
In September, 2010, Fudge was listed as one of several possible candidates to replace Larry Summers as director of the National Economic Council
. Some reports signalled that the White House could be looking for a female executive with business experience to fill the post.
In September, 2011, Fudge joined in the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
(CRFB) "Go Big" forum. CRFB, along with the New America Foundation
, the Concord Coalition
, and the Bipartisan Policy Center
"discuss[ed] the path ahead for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) and the reasons it should exceed its mandate".
Fudge is also noted for having pursued her career despite the glass ceiling which has been seen to thwart promotion to the top ranks, facing women and minorities in the corporate workforce particularly. And, in regards Fudge's relatively early moves out of jobs, the 2004 Business Week article also included a sidebar on four "other women [who] left high-powered positions in the corporate world to find a place where they could work on their own terms."
Fudge is currently based in Chestnut Hill, MA. She and her husband have five grandchildren.
Chairman of the Board
The Chairman of the Board is a seat of office in an organization, especially of corporations.Chairman of the Board may also refer to:*Chairman of the Board , a 1998 film*Chairmen of the Board , a 1970s American soul music group...
and CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Young & Rubicam
Young & Rubicam
Y&R is a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.-History:...
Brands, a global network of marketing communications companies. In early 2010, Fudge was appointed by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to his National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is a Presidential Commission created in 2010 by President Barack Obama to identify "…policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run."...
(NCFRR).
Early life and education
Fudge was born and raised in Washington and attended the city's Catholic schoolsCatholic schools in the United States
Catholic schools in the United States are accredited by independent and/or state agencies, and teachers are generally certified. Catholic schools are supported through tuition payments and fund raising.-Operation:...
through 12th grade. "She cited the riots
1968 Washington, D.C. riots
Five days of race riots erupted in Washington, D.C. following the April 4, 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement-leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil unrest affected at least 110 U.S...
she lived through after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a 'hurtful' but formative experience. 'They made me incredibly determined,' she said. 'I wanted to do something that black people hadn't done before. When I hit roadblocks, that was what kept me going.' ... She grew up middle class in Washington, the first of two children born to a mother who was a manager at the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
and a father who was an administrator at the Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
. They stressed education ... and [Fudge also] credits the nuns for pushing her to do her best."
Fudge is a graduate of Simmons College
Simmons College (Massachusetts)
Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
and Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, earning respectively BA (honors) in retail management, 1973; and MBA, 1977. In 1998, HBS Prof. Stephen A. Greyser recalled Fudge as "a solid citizen, a solid student."
Discussing her educational choices with Business Week in 2004, she said "When I was at Simmons College, I had this great professor -- Margaret Hennig. She was the one who encouraged me to think about business and apply to Harvard Business School. She and Ann Jardim wrote the first book on women in business, called The Managerial Woman, and founded the Simmons Graduate School of Business. I applied to Harvard Business School my senior year."
Career
One job Fudge had while still in high school was with the Teen Board at Hecht'sHecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores located mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States....
department store. The job included advising on teen-age fashions and a trip to fashion magazines in New York. After college, Fudge worked in the human resources department of the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Company before pursuing her MBA.
After Harvard, Fudge spent nine years at General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
. "Her biggest accomplishment there, she said, was her part as a marketing assistant on the team that developed Honey Nut Cheerios
Honey Nut Cheerios
Honey Nut Cheerios is a variation of Cheerios breakfast cereal, introduced in 1979 by the General Mills cereal company. This is the second variation from Original Cheerios, it is sweeter than the original, with a honey and almond flavor...
. Today, it's one of the nation's biggest cereal brands." Fudge then served, ultimately, as president of the beverages, desserts and Post division, a $5 billion unit of Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
. At Kraft, she served on the management committee and managed many businesses including Maxwell House
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
coffee, Gevalia
Gevalia
Gevalia is the largest coffee roastery in Scandinavia. In North America, the company sells coffee and teas directly to consumers via home delivery. Customers order from a customer servicenter and a website that was relaunched in August 2009...
kaffe, Kool Aid, Crystal Light
Crystal Light
Crystal Light is a low-calorie powdered beverage mix that offers naturally and artificially sweetened beverage options in multiple flavors. Originally marketed in 1982 with Linda Evans as its spokesperson, the company later had celebrities Raquel Welch and Priscilla Presley as spokeswomen...
, Post Cereals
Post Cereals
Post Foods, LLC, also known as Post Cereals is a food company that was founded by C.W. Post in 1895 with the first Postum, a "cereal beverage," developed by Post in Battle Creek, Michigan. The first cereal, Grape-Nuts, was developed in 1897. Post has its headquarters in the Bank of America Plaza...
, Jell-O
Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
desserts, and Altoids
Altoids
-Flavors and varieties:-Mints:Altoids mints are available in eight flavors: peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, cinnamon, ginger, liquorice, crème de menthe and cool honey. "Sugar-Free Smalls", tiny square mints sweetened with sorbitol and sucralose, are also available in peppermint, wintergreen,...
.
In 1998, Fudge was named by Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
magazine as 30th on the 50 Most Influential Women in American Business list (Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina is an American business executive and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate representing California. Fiorina served as chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 and previously was an executive at AT&T and its equipment and technology spinoff,...
#1 Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
#2), while she was executive vice president at Kraft. At the time, coffee and cereals for which Fudge was responsible accounted for $2.7 billion (16%) of Kraft's $16.8 billion in sales. She also at the time sat on the boards of AlliedSignal
AlliedSignal
AlliedSignal was an aerospace, automotive and engineering company that acquired and merged with Honeywell for $15 billion in 1999, after which the new group adopted the Honeywell name.AlliedSignal was created through a 1985 merger of Allied Corp...
, Liz Claiborne
Liz Claiborne
Anne Elisabeth Jane "Liz" Claiborne was a Belgian-born American fashion designer and entrepreneur. Claiborne is best known for founding Liz Claiborne Inc. which in 1986 became the first company founded by a woman to make the Fortune 500...
, (both as of 1993) and Catalyst
Catalyst (nonprofit organization)
Catalyst, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that promotes inclusive workplaces for women. It was founded in 1962 by feminist, writer, and advocate Felice Schwartz. Sheila Wellington served as president of Catalyst following Schwartz for ten years...
, Inc.
In 2001, after a year as president of the beverages et al. division at Kraft, "Fudge decided to retire. She related to Business Week that her choice to leave Kraft was based on a number of reasons. She had had a goal of retiring before age 50; she had dealt with the recent illness and death of her parents, some close friends and relatives. 'To be honest, I still haven't figured it out. ... It was definitely not dissatisfaction. It was stepping back and saying, "What are you really here for? What do you really want to accomplish?"' She spent two years reconnecting with friends and family and delving into community work. Her charitable work included work with a number of organizations, including the Executive Leadership Council, a non-profit group of high-level African American leaders in business, the Boys and Girls Club of America, Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a non-profit organization that helps parents prevent, intervene in and find treatment for drug and alcohol use by their children...
, and the United Way, among others. From her time away, Fudge became inspired by the power individuals have to make a difference in the world."
Following the sabbatical, Fudge served as chair and chief executive officer of Young & Rubicam Brands from 2003 to 2007. In 2004, Business Week summed up some of the challenges facing her, saying Y&R "has suffered through poor management and a messy merger in recent years. The various units tend to work in isolation. The ad agency has lost some big clients. And employees are disgruntled ... [including] reports of animosity between Fudge and creative head Michael Patti."
Fudge was Inside the Boardroom guest, 2008, Carlson School of Management
Carlson School of Management
The school offers a bachelor's, MBA, and doctoral degrees, as well as executive education programs hosted domestically and abroad . Dual-degree programs include a JD/MBA, MD/MBA, MHA/MBA, and a MPP/MBA...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
In February, 2011, Fudge was featured by the Commonwealth Institute in Miami, Florida, and in April, 2011, Fudge spoke at the Economic Club of Minnesota.
In 2011, Fudge serves on the boards of directors of General Electric, Novartis
Novartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
, and Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
. She also serves as chair of the U.S. Programs Advisory Board of The Gates Foundation; and she is a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
, the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
and Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
. She has been a Morehouse trustee since April 2006. She also serves on the board of Buzzient, Inc, and served as vice chair of the Harvard Board of Overseers
Harvard Board of Overseers
The Harvard Board of Overseers is one of Harvard University's two governing boards...
.
In June, 2011, it was announced that Fudge would join the board of Indian technology and outsourcing
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
company Infosys
Infosys
Infosys Limited, formerly Infosys Technologies Limited is a global technology services company headquartered in Bangalore, India. It is the second largest IT exporter in India with 133,560 employees as of March 2011. It has offices in 33 countries and development centers in India, China,...
on 1 October, 2011, as an Additional Director. Fudge will be the sole woman on the board, and was recruited by retiring founder NR Narayana Murthy and nominations committee chair Jeffrey S. Lehman
Jeffrey S. Lehman
Jeffrey Sean Lehman is an American scholar, lawyer and academic administrator who is currently serving as the chancellor and founding dean of the Peking University School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen, China...
. Murthy had served also on the Unilever board and knew Fudge from there.
In September, 2011, Fudge was one of six Hall of Fame honorees named in advance of the National Association of Corporate Directors
National Association of Corporate Directors
The National Association of Corporate Directors is an independent, not-for-profit membership organization, dedicated to serving the corporate governance needs of directors of public, private, and non-profit organizations. Founded in 1977, NACD is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and serves...
November gala in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Political involvement and public service
In 2008, Fudge was a member of the Obama presidential campaignBarack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
’s finance committee.
In early 2010, Fudge, an independent voter, was named by President Obama to the 18-member fiscal responsibility and reform commission, a bipartisan panel chaired by former Senator Alan K. Simpson
Alan K. Simpson
Alan Kooi Simpson is an American politician who served from 1979 to 1997 as a United States Senator from Wyoming as a member of the Republican Party. His father, Milward L. Simpson, was also a member of the U.S...
, (R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
-WY
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
), and former White House Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
Erskine Bowles
Erskine Bowles
Erskine Boyce Bowles is an American businessman and political figure from North Carolina. He served from 2005 to 2010 as the President of the University of North Carolina system...
(D). The balance of the panel was three more members appointed by the President, six members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and six members of the U.S. Senate. The commission first met on April 27, 2010 and had a December report deadline. Though specific actions based on the report were limited, commission members who were also members of Congress reappeared in the so-called Gang of Six in spring and summer, 2011, in the debt-ceiling-increase debate.
In September, 2010, Fudge was listed as one of several possible candidates to replace Larry Summers as director of the National Economic Council
National Economic Council
The National Economic Council of the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering economic policy matters, separate from matters relating to domestic policy, which are the domain of the Domestic Policy Council...
. Some reports signalled that the White House could be looking for a female executive with business experience to fill the post.
In September, 2011, Fudge joined in the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. that addresses federal budget and fiscal issues...
(CRFB) "Go Big" forum. CRFB, along with the New America Foundation
New America Foundation
The New America Foundation is a non-profit public policy institute and think tank with offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, CA. It was founded in 1999 by Ted Halstead, Sherle Schwenninger, Michael Lind and Walter Russell Mead....
, the Concord Coalition
Concord Coalition
The Concord Coalition is a political advocacy group in the United States, formed in 1992. A bipartisan organization, it was founded by former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman, former Secretary of Commerce Peter George Peterson, and the late U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas. The Concord Coalition's advocacy...
, and the Bipartisan Policy Center
Bipartisan Policy Center
The is a non-profit organization that "drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue." Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell, "BPC combines politically-balanced policymaking...
"discuss[ed] the path ahead for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) and the reasons it should exceed its mandate".
Personal life
As a sophomore at Simmons, Ann married Rich Fudge. Before she graduated, they had a baby, Rich Jr. She had to balance personal and academic/professional demands from that early stage on. "Her fondest memory from General Mills ... involved her younger son, Kevin, then 9. Ms. Fudge had just been made a marketing director, the first woman and the first black at that level. 'I came home all excited, and was telling my family, and he said: "What's the big deal, mom? So now instead of one brand, you have four. You can do that." He was right. My sons have helped keep things in perspective.'"Fudge is also noted for having pursued her career despite the glass ceiling which has been seen to thwart promotion to the top ranks, facing women and minorities in the corporate workforce particularly. And, in regards Fudge's relatively early moves out of jobs, the 2004 Business Week article also included a sidebar on four "other women [who] left high-powered positions in the corporate world to find a place where they could work on their own terms."
Fudge is currently based in Chestnut Hill, MA. She and her husband have five grandchildren.
External links
- "On Leadership: Ann Fudge on coming in as an outsider", interview by Steven PearlsteinSteven PearlsteinSteven Pearlstein is an American columnist. He writes a column on business and the economy that is published twice weekly in The Washington Post...
, Washington Post, March 1, 2011, video. - "Ann Fudge on Being Your Authentic Self",YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video, Feb 15, 2011, The Commonwealth Institute.