Niharika Taskar Ramdev
CFO, Global Purchasing & Supply Chain
General Motors

As CFO of GM's purchasing group, Ramdev aims to optimize spending on its largest cost—materials and logistics. Earlier, as assistant treasurer from 2008 to 2011, she was involved in establishing GM's $5 billion secured revolver and played a key role in the company's restructuring and $23 billion IPO.

Robin Washington
CFO & SVP
Gilead Sciences

As finance chief since 2008, Washington has presided over a period of significant revenue growth for the biotech company. She played a key role in its strategic use of cash, as well as in the financing for Gilead's recently announced purchase of Pharmasset.

Sarah-Jane Chilver-Stainer
SVP & Group Treasurer
GlaxoSmithKline

Chilver-Stainer runs a centralized treasury with responsibility for operations in more than 100 countries for the London pharmaceutical giant, overseeing a $23 billion debt portfolio and $9.5 billion in investments. She also set up an in-house bank to facilitate internal cash flows.

Laura Thompson
VP of Finance, North American Tire
Goodyear Tire & Rubber

Thompson directs finance for the tire company's biggest business unit, with annual sales of more than $8 billion. Thompson, who previously served as vice president of business development, is also the executive in charge of developing Goodyear's new headquarters in Akron, Ohio.

Nanette DeTurk
CFO, CAO, Treasurer & EVP
Highmark

As CFO since 2006 for Highmark, a nonprofit health insurer in Pennsylvania, DeTurk is working to integrate the company's portfolio and liquidity needs with long-term corporate strategy. She also led recent changes to Highmark's corporate risk management process.

Anne Madden
VP, Corporate Development & Global Head of M&A
Honeywell International

Under Madden's leadership, Honeywell has completed more than 70 acquisitions that it credits with adding $8 billion in incremental revenues over the last decade. Madden has also led divestitures that helped the company focus on its core businesses and revamped M&A processes.

Diane Ford
Controller & VP
Integrys Energy Group

M&A activity has been a focus for Ford. When Integrys was formed in 2007 by the merger of Wisconsin Public Service and People's Energy, Ford, as controller of Wisconsin Public Service, worked to integrate the two organizations' finance and accounting teams.

Ellen Johnson
Treasurer & SVP
Interpublic Group

Johnson led the advertising and marketing conglomerate's efforts to strengthen its balance sheet, a move that resulted in its attaining investment-grade ratings recently for the first time since 2005. She negotiated the private sale of about half of the company's stake in Facebook and developed a framework for returning value to shareholders.

Kimberly Dang
CFO & VP
Kinder Morgan

Dang, CFO for the pipeline company since 2005, is currently working on Kinder Morgan's acquisition of El Paso Corp., the biggest M&A deal of 2011. The acquisition will create the fourth-largest energy company in North America. Dang also played a key role in the company's IPO last year, which raised $3.3 billion.

See Part III of the Outstanding Women in Finance Slideshow here.

See the complete 2012 Women in Finance list here and more coverage of the list here.