“During the mourning period after my father passed, his friends and colleagues were saying there was no way the business would survive. There was no way that a 27-year-old woman could run a company. I was so pissed that this was a conversation during a mourning period, and that a woman who was educated and working at a high level at the company wasn't considered for leadership. This was my father's life work, something I was completely connected to, and I knew I could take the reins.”
Quote by Julie Smolyansky
Author
Julie Smolyansky
Julie Smolyansky is an American businesswoman best known as the CEO of Lifeway Foods. Born in Ukraine, she immigrated to the United States as a child. After her father's sudden death in 2002, she took over the company at age 27, becoming the youngest female CEO of a publicly traded food company in the U.S. She has championed probiotic and fermented foods, particularly kefir, and led Lifeway to become the market leader in the American kefir industry. Her leadership has driven significant growth and innovation in health-focused dairy products. more