Grace Puma Author, Corporate Board Member, and Women in Business Advocate
About the Author
Grace Puma is the former executive vice president and COO of PepsiCo, and before that, held senior positions with United Airlines, Kraft Foods, Motorola, and Gillette. Currently, she is a board member of Organon & Co and Target Corporation. With more than 30 years of experience, she has revolutionized organizations into globally connected and performance driven entities. Puma is a renowned strategist and innovator who finds effective solutions to business challenges and is a recognized female and Hispanic leader in the business world.
Puma is the co-author of the forthcoming book Career Forward (publishing February 2024) which she wrote with former president of Nike’s direct-to-consumer division, Christiana Smith Shi and has been included in Inc.’s round up of “4 Must-Read Business Books to Kick off 2024.” Together, they draw on decades of experience reaching the top of Fortune 500 companies to show women how to maximize their career journeys, get paid what they’re worth, navigate the shifts that occur in any company, build a leadership identity, and have a full life in and out of work.
Puma is an expert on how to utilize every opportunity to boost your connections, take on “difficult” assignments, and work actively to broaden your skills in the workplace. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of women’s leadership and Hispanics in business and has captivated audiences at conferences such as San Diego Women’s Week and The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. She has appeared on the “Most Powerful Latina” list by Fortune magazine and the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). She was also recognized as the “Executive of the Year” by Latina Style magazine.
Puma holds a BA in business administration and economics from Illinois Benedictine University. She lives in Tampa, Florida.
Suggested Topics
- Career Forward: Strategies from Women Who’ve Made It
- Women in Business
- Hispanics in Business
- Business Strategy
- Career Betterment
Raves and Reviews
[An] energizing debut manual…The combination of helpful anecdotes and rousing encouragement makes for a sensible program on how women can achieve their professional goals. Readers will feel inspired.”
–Publishers Weekly
Women workers will no doubt appreciate the authors’ advice and take heart in a vision of career success that helps balance out the lean-in mentality that has—quite unintentionally—led to high rates of burnout among high-performing women over the last decade. A thoughtfully upbeat and humane business book.”
–Kirkus Reviews
Invaluable (and rare) career advice that involves mastering both the short and long game to make you the first chosen when opportunity knocks. A must read.”
—Carol Tome, CEO of UPS
Sure to be useful for anyone with big career dreams. In these pages, the authors share powerful lessons learned not just in business but in life.”
—Brian Cornell, CEO of Target
Engaging, practical, and hands-on with actionable insights you can put to work right away…No matter where you are on the career ladder, you’ll be able to find yourself in this book.”
—Carrie Cox, Chairman of the Board, Organon; ranked by Fortune for six years as “One of the Most Powerful Women in Business”
While Career Forward is written from a private-sector perspective, I found, as someone who has spent a career in the public and nonprofit sectors, that the lessons are universal.”
—Helene Gayle, President of Spelman College
Pure gold for those seeking a long-term blueprint for success…You’re going to want to recommend this book to anyone trying to find their path.”
—Mindy Grossman, former CEO of both WW International and HSN
Reading this book is like having two great mentors who are willing to give you the tough love and real-world advice you need. Put yourself into their hands.”
—Carolyn Dewar, New York Times bestselling coauthor of CEO Excellence
Career Forward will help you think bigger, act bolder, and ensure you are the architect of your success. Required reading.”
—Lydia Fenet, author of The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You
With Career Forward, you’ll be able to level the playing field and chart a clear path forward…The presentation is always captivating.”
—Jennifer Aaker, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and coauthor of Humor, Seriously
In the Media
“What these former top execs want young female leaders to know“
March 3, 2024
“Bloomberg Businessweek: Strategies from Women Who’ve Made It“
February 27, 2024
“SKID is the new 4-step approach that can help you get back on track at work”
February 20, 2024
“Career Forward: Strategies from Women Who’ve Made It”
February 20, 2024
“Navigating Career Horizons: Strategic Movies, Personal Branding, and the 360-Degree Life”
February 13, 2024
“Former PepsiCo chief operations officer joins Target board”
August 11, 2022
May 31, 2017