Sep 06, 07 | 1:58 am
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chairman and chief executive officer of Carlson, for the fourth consecutive year has been named as one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women," according to Forbes magazine.
"The Minnesota-based travel hospitality conglomerate, which was founded by Nelson's late father, continues to expand," Forbes says. "The company acquired rival Navigant in August, doubling the size of its travel services business. Also expanding overseas; opened a luxury Regent hotel in Beijing; with a partner, bought another 45 T.G.I. Friday's restaurants in the U.K. Systemwide sales including franchised operations topped $37 billion in 2006."
Fifty of the top 100 women recognized by Forbes are from the United States. Nelson joins Angela Merkel, chancellor, Germany; Wu Yi, vice premier, China; Ho Ching, chief executive, Temasek Holdings, Singapore; Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, U.S.; Indra K. Nooyi, chairman, chief executive, PepsiCo, U.S.; Sonia Gandhi, president, India; Anne M. Mulcahy, chairman, chief executive, Xerox; Oprah Winfrey, chairman, Harpo, U.S.; and Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom.
Nelson has been chairman and CEO of Carlson for nearly 10 years, and prior to taking the top positions, served in a variety of leadership roles within the company. Carlson will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2008.
A member of the Exxon Mobil Corporation Board of Directors and the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees, Nelson also serves on the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, and the Board of Overseers at the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
She is chair of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which serves as the advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States. She also is a member of the World Travel and Tourism Council; the Business Roundtable; the steering committee of the Aviation, Travel & Tourism Governors of the World Economic Forum; the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum; and she is co-founder and advisory board member of the Women Leaders Program of the World Economic Forum. From 2002-2005, she was the chair of the National Women's Business Council.
In addition, Nelson served on the Singapore Tourism Board and the U.S. National Tourism Organization, and is past chair of the Travel Industry Association.
Nelson was the first major player in the United States travel industry to take a stand in the fight against child sexual tourism by co-founding the World Childhood Foundation, established by the Queen of Sweden. In addition, Nelson personally signed Carlson to an international code of conduct aimed at ending child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes.
In 2006, Nelson received the National Business Travel Association's highest award – the Icon Award – for a career of leadership in the business travel industry, and she was admitted to the French Legion of Honor in recognition of her outstanding public service. Last October, U.S. News and World Report chose her as one of "America's Best Leaders."
