Carly Fiorina
As Chief Executive Officer of HP from 1999 to 2005, Fiorina was the first woman to lead a Top-20 company as ranked by Fortune Magazine. In 2002, Fiorina oversaw what was then the largest technology sector merger in history, in which HP acquired rival personal computer manufacturer, Compaq. The transaction made HP the world's largest seller of personal computers. HP subsequently laid off 30,000 U.S. employees in order to save 80,000 jobs. The company then grew to 150,000. In February 2005, she had to resign as CEO and Chair, following a boardroom disagreement.