Sallie Krawcheck

Sallie Krawcheck, former CEO of Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney, calls herself a “recovering research analyst.” The latest step in her recovery: purchasing the women’s networking club 85 Broads and helping the organization’s 35,000 women thrive in their own careers. Founded as a platform for Goldman Sachs ­employees and alumnae (the group is named after the firm’s former Manhattan headquarters at 85 Broad Street), Broads has opened its doors to all kinds of professional women, who join at annual membership ­levels ranging from $25 to $1,000. Since Krawcheck took over last year, the company’s revenue is up more than 100%. “­Creativity is not sitting in a room by yourself thinking big thoughts,” she says. “Creativity is exchanging ideas, clashing ideas, bringing ideas together, and helping to funnel them.”