Three College of Business alumnae are among Fortune magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Latinas of 2017. They join three other FIU graduates and members of the FIU community on the ranking, which highlights Latinas’ growing presence in corporate America.
The list, compiled by The Association of Latino Professionals for America, includes female executives running Fortune 500 companies or large private firms and entrepreneurs leading global initiatives.
“These remarkable women used their FIU education to assume leadership roles in the corporate world,” said Jose Aldrich, acting dean of the College of Business. “We are proud of their accomplishments, and of the ongoing relationships they have with our college and our university. They are important role models for our students.”
The four-criteria used in the ranking were: the size and importance of the woman’s business in the global economy, the health and direction of the business, the arc of the woman’s career—résumé and runway ahead—and their social and cultural influence.
Among these powerful women are the chair of the FIU Board of Trustees, four alumnae and two former advisory board members.
FIU Business Alumnae
#15 – Francis Hondal ’88, MBA ’94
A first-generation Cuban American, Hondal serves as executive vice president for global consumer credit and loyalty solutions at MasterCard. She has 25 years of experience in consumer marketing, finance and management. Hondal is a member of the College of Business Hall of Fame and is also on the dean’s council for the college. She earned a bachelor’s in international business and finance in 1988 and a master’s in business administration from FIU in 1994.
#28 – Claudia Puig ’81
Chair of the FIU Board of Trustees, Puig serves as senior vice president and general manager for local media in Miami at Univision Communications. She has more than 20 years of experience in Hispanic media, formerly serving as vice president and general manager of Spanish Broadcasting Systems. Puig studied international business and marketing at FIU’s College of Business.
#31 – Ileana Musa MBA ’93
Musa serves as managing director for the global client segment and strategy executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she works with international financial advisors for high-net worth clients. Musa also chairs the Association of Latino Professionals for America. She received a master’s in business administration from FIU in 1993.
FIU Alumnae and community members
#1 – Geisha Williams
Williams, who serves as president and CEO of PG&E Corporation, this year became the first Latina to lead a Fortune 500 company. During her tenure at PG&E, a power company, she led an initiative to provide nearly 30 percent of its power from renewable energy sources. Williams is a former member of the College of Engineering & Computing advisory board.
#8 – Myrna Soto ’93
Soto is the senior vice president and global chief information security officer for Comcast. Her specializations include integration of business and technology, technology risk management and more. A graduate of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1993.
# 23 – Maria Sastre
Sastre is the president and COO of Signature Flight Support, where she leads acquisitions and integrations. She has served on the advisory boards of many private and nonprofit organizations, including that of FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
