26. Lauren Zalaznick
By
| November 1, 2013
Former EVP, NBCUniversal
It was the end of an era this September when Zalaznick said goodbye to NBCU, the business she saw through so many incarnations during her salient 12-year executive stint. Though her most recent, short-lived role was focused on developing digital extensions for the company, Zalaznick is best known for her strategic oversight of the cable properties, particularly her transformation of Bravo into a high-end lifestyle brand and her coining of the term for the viewers the network successfully courted—“affluencers.” We’re anxiously awaiting news of her next chapter. We just know she’ll find a way to stay on this list.