Facebook's Sandberg, IBM's Rometty make Fortune power list

Other tech women on the annual list of the 50 most powerful women in business include Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and Hewlett-Packard's Meg Whitman.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Several tech executives made Fortune's annual list of the most powerful women in business, with IBM's Ginny Rometty topping the rankings for the second straight year.

Rometty took over as IBM's CEO in January of 2012 after running Big Blue's sales operations. A longtime IBMer, Rometty made Fortune's list even before becoming CEO. The publication noted Thursday that Rometty is devoting resources to commercializing Watson, IBM's Jeopardy-playing supercomputer, as well as pushing into developing markets such as Africa.

Another familiar face on the list is Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg at No. 5. She jumped three spots from No. 8 last year. Part of the reason for the rise in the rankings is Sandberg's 'Lean In' bestselling book and movement 'that made her a global celebrity,' Fortune said. She also helped Facebook expand in mobile, something that has boosted its revenue.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer came in at No. 8, up from her former ranking of No. 14, while Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman fell six spots to No. 9. Fortune noted that HP 'was a mess when Whitman arrived -- and still is,' though Whitman's tenure has boosted the stock nearly 50 percent this year.

Other tech names on the list include Xerox CEO Ursula Burns at No. 13; Oracle co-President and CFO Safra Catz at No. 14; Susan Wojcicki, Google senior vice president of ads and commerce, at No. 19; Intel President Renee James at No. 27; and Bridget Van Kralingen, senior vice president of IBM's Global Business Services at No. 28. Executives from Comcast and other tech-related companies also made the list.