Company: Westpac Banking
Position: CEO and Managing Director
Global 500 Rank: 254
Originally from South Africa, Gail Kelly headed to Australia in 1997. Before the move, Kelly was a history teacher at a government school in her home country. But she hated it.
In 1980, her father introduced her to an acquaintance at Nedcor Bank and she started work as a teller. She took a brief hiatus -- while pregnant -- in 1986 to get her MBA and returned to work in early 1987.
As South Africa's political climate turned tumultuous, Kelly and her family decided to move to Australia.
Joining St. George's Bank in 2002, Kelly moved quickly up the ladder and became CEO that same year (the CEO at the time died of a heart attack). After doubling the bank's net assets during her five-and-a-half- year tenure, Kelly moved to Westpac in February of 2008.
Under Kelly, Westpac merged with St. George's in 2008. With four kids, Kelly has cited her husband's support as the reason she's able to do it all.
