Cutting through the clutter: Lynn de Souza

Lynn de Souza,
50, Chairman & CEO, Lintas Media Group
(New on BT's Most Powerful list)

She saw it coming and took it on the chin rather well. The recent loss of the Rs 150-crore ITC account could have been a body blow for Lynn de Souza, Chairman & CEO, Lintas Media Group (LMG), but she has emerged pretty much unscathed thanks to plans B, C, D and more. "We knew this was going to happen and prepared by winning many businesses, " says de Souza.

Ever since she stepped into the tough-as-nails advertising and media industry in 1983, de Souza has learnt to take on crises and competition - and thrive. Industry veteran Sam Balsara, Chairman & MD, Madison World, feels de Souza has done remarkably well: "This is an industry where you are constantly dealing with big and powerful people. All of them are successful and have big egos. Being a woman has its advantages, but it is not easy either," he says.

Biggest achievement in 2010: Mobilising the Women's Leadership Network for Interpublic Group in India Being a powerful woman is important because: One can add an unmistakable differential to the leadership of teams Tip for work-life balance: Focus on the now and give it 100 per cent A workplace without women is like: An ocean without fish

De Souza has become an icon herself in a Rs 21,000-crore industry that aims to build brands and strategies that can break through the clutter. Her career path, leading up to the corner room, has seen virtually no detours. She did take a sabbatical in 1998 at Lintas, when she did a one-year course in veterinary nursing at Brisbane North Institute of Technical and Further Education to pursue her passion for animal welfare. But it has been advertising, media and little else otherwise.

"She heads several industry bodies and has also stormed into the maledominated AAAI (Advertising Agencies Association of India) as its Vice President this year," says a senior industry observer.

-Shamni Pande

The 30 Most Powerful Women
1.Schauna Chauhan 2.Zarin Daruwala 3.Lynn de Souza 4.Tanya Dubash 5.Shyamala Gopinath 6.Vinita Gupta 7.Kaku Nakhate 8.Vedika Bhandarkar 9.Manisha Girotra 10.Lalita Gupte 11.Usha Narayanan 12.Akhila Srinivasan 13.Leena Nair 14.Vinita Bali 15.Chanda Kochhar	16.Roopa Kudva 17.Naina Lal Kidwai 18.Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw 19.Zarina Mehta 20.Zia Mody 21.Kalpana Morparia 22.Vishakha Mulye 23.Swati Piramal 24.Meher Pudumjee 25.Madhabi Puri Buch 26.Chitra Ramkrishna 27.Preetha Reddy 28.Shikha Sharma 29.Mallika Srinivasan 30.Sangeeta Talwar