Female chief executives are still lamentably rare, female chief executives in the hi-tech computer industry even more so.
Female chief executives who are pregnant when appointed are hitherto unknown, however.
But, refreshingly, search engine company Yahoo has broken the mould by appointing Marissa Mayer as its latest CEO knowing full well that she’s six month’s pregnant.
Mayer – who was employee number 20 at Google – will be taking up her new post while pregnant with her first child. Her due date is Sunday 7 October and she plans to work up to that point, taking only a few weeks of maternity leave afterwards.
But, refreshingly, search engine company Yahoo has broken the mould by appointing Marissa Mayer as its latest CEO knowing full well that she’s six month’s pregnant.
Mayer – who was employee number 20 at Google – will be taking up her new post while pregnant with her first child. Her due date is Sunday 7 October and she plans to work up to that point, taking only a few weeks of maternity leave afterwards.
Mayer said that she had informed Yahoo’s board of her condition before the 11 directors unanimously voted to hire her. And indeed, one company source told Silicon Valley news site, All Things D, that the pregnancy had played no part in their decision one way or the other.
“It was not part of the consideration,” said the anonymous source. “Like every other professional woman, she has to weigh all the factors in doing her job and having a family.”
For her part, Mayer made an interesting comment to CNN when asked about her discussions on the subject during the interview process with Yahoo. "They showed their evolved thinking," she said.
For her part, Mayer made an interesting comment to CNN when asked about her discussions on the subject during the interview process with Yahoo. "They showed their evolved thinking," she said.
Staying in the rhythm
As to the brief amount of time that she is taking off before and after the baby arrives, Mayer explained: "I like to stay in the rhythm of things. My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I’ll work throughout it."
But Yahoo is, nonetheless, making some accommodation for her condition. The firm’s scheduled September board meeting will be in held in California rather than New York so that she can avoid flying.
But Yahoo is, nonetheless, making some accommodation for her condition. The firm’s scheduled September board meeting will be in held in California rather than New York so that she can avoid flying.
The company hasn’t had a great track record with CEOs of late, however. In September last year, Carol Bartz was fired after two-and-a-half years in the hot seat.
She was succeeded by Scott Thompson, who was subsequently accused of being embarrassingly ‘creative’ with his CV. Following allegations of a fake computer sciences degree, he stepped down in May.
Since then, Ross Levinsohn has acted as interim CEO and had been widely tipped to assume the role on a permanent basis. As a result, Silicon Valley and Wall Street were taken by surprise yesterday when it was announced that Google executive Marissa Mayer was his chosen successor.
Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt hailed Mayer as "a great product person, very innovative and a real perfectionist who always wants the best for users. Yahoo has made a great choice".
Mayer joins a shortlist of women in the technology industry to hold the top spot. The elite club includes Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard, Virginia Rometty, CEO of IBM, and Sandra Kurtzig, CEO of cloud-based manufacturing applications supplier, Kenandy.
Since then, Ross Levinsohn has acted as interim CEO and had been widely tipped to assume the role on a permanent basis. As a result, Silicon Valley and Wall Street were taken by surprise yesterday when it was announced that Google executive Marissa Mayer was his chosen successor.
Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt hailed Mayer as "a great product person, very innovative and a real perfectionist who always wants the best for users. Yahoo has made a great choice".
Mayer joins a shortlist of women in the technology industry to hold the top spot. The elite club includes Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard, Virginia Rometty, CEO of IBM, and Sandra Kurtzig, CEO of cloud-based manufacturing applications supplier, Kenandy.
