CEOs

Kayak takes on the big dogs

Founder Paul English battles the likes of Expedia and Priceline by recruiting great talent and making the customer king.

By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large

FORTUNE -- A successful July IPO drew attention to the surprising story of Kayak (KYAK), an online travel site that's succeeding where you'd least expect it. Launched in 2005, it faced established competitors like Expedia (EXPE), Orbitz (OWW), Travelocity, and Priceline (PCLN), and Google (GOOG) and Microsoft MORE

IBM's Ginni Rometty looks ahead

She's earned the No. 1 spot in our annual ranking of the Most Powerful Women in Business. But to keep Big Blue growing, Rometty will have to sell IBM like never before.

By Jessi Hempel, senior writer

FORTUNE -- Ginni Rometty's first customer conference as CEO of IBM (IBM) was an unusual affair, especially by Big Blue's buttoned-up standards. The June confab took place in an airy loft in Manhattan's hip MORE

Business's real problem: Uncertainty, uncertainty, uncertainty

It's hard for corporate chiefs to plan for the future when they're waiting for a closetful of shoes to drop.

By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large

FORTUNE -- When CEOs tell me that their No. 1 concern is uncertainty, as a great many do, my first reaction is skepticism. Please. Life is uncertain. Is this moment really different?

Actually it is: Economic uncertainty, especially policy uncertainty, is greater than it has been in MORE

How Dave Cote got Honeywell's groove back

The GE veteran and one-time cod fisherman has led a remarkable turnaround at the industrial giant.

By Shawn Tully, senior editor-at-large

FORTUNE -- Dave Cote is feeling the beat. He takes a sip of Mountain Dew and bobs his head in time to the throbbing bass of Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life." The CEO of Honeywell International, one of the world's largest industrial conglomerates, with $37.1 billion in sales, is wearing his MORE

FedEx CEO Fred Smith on ... everything

Smith sounds off on China, the U.S. economy, the value of a good name, and why the government shouldn't pay for a liberal arts education.

By Brian Dumaine, senior editor-at-large

FORTUNE -- When Fred Smith founded FedEx in 1971, he had just returned from the Vietnam War, where he had served as a Marine platoon leader and then a pilot, and he was casting around for something to do. As legend MORE

Avon: The rise and fall of a beauty icon

Exclusive: As CEO of Avon, Andrea Jung made bad bets and missed opportunities. Now she's been replaced - and the 126-year-old company has a second bidder lining up.

By Beth Kowitt, writer

FORTUNE -- It was a painful hour for Andrea Jung.

The CEO and chairman of Avon Products was fielding questions during the company's third-quarter earnings call from a pack of frustrated analysts -- and they weren't holding back. The company had surprised the MORE

Lululemon CEO: How to build trust inside your company

Christine Day joined Lululemon Athletica in 2008 and helped the yoga-inspired athletic apparel maker grow by trusting her employees to make decisions.

Interview by Colleen Leahey, reporter

FORTUNE -- It's true that Lululemon Athletica's manifesto proclaims that "friends are more important than money," but there's been a lot of the latter pouring in these days. In 2008, CEO Christine Day joined the company after 20 years at Starbucks (SBUX); she has increased MORE

Fixing America: A CEO's master plan

The tax code is archaic. The infrastructure is crumbling. We're doing our best to stifle innovation. What to do? Here's how I'd get the U.S. back on its feet.

By Sandy Cutler, contributor

FORTUNE -- Our nation is facing a crisis, a crisis of leadership. Decisions today are being based, sadly, on political dogma. The guiding principles that made our country great -- creating jobs, fostering innovation, and providing more economic opportunity MORE

Why the CEO is here to stay

Are teams at the top important? Absolutely. Will they replace individuals as leaders of organizations? Not a chance. Here's why. By Bob Frisch

Howard Schultz brews strong coffee at Starbucks

He rescued the coffee chain. It had record financial results this year. Now the CEO is on a campaign to save the country from its politicians. Here's how he blends capitalism and activism.

By David A. Kaplan, contributor

FORTUNE -- The president of the United States wasn't on the phone to talk about Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Back in September, two days before Barack Obama delivered his speech to Congress on jobs, he put MORE