Marilyn Carlson Nelson is Chairwoman and CEO of Carlson Companies, Inc., one of the largest privately held companies in the world. Carlson's well known brands include: Carlson Wagonlit Travel®, Radisson® Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson®, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises®, and T.G.I. Friday's®. Carlson-related brands and services are in more than 140 countries and employ 198,000 people worldwide.

Ms. Carlson Nelson is a regular on Fortune magazine's list of the Most Powerful Women in Business and has been selected by Business Week as one of the Top 25 Executives in Business. She has been ranked by Travel Agent magazine as "the Most Powerful Woman in Travel" annually since 1997. Under her leadership in 2001 and 2002, Carlson Companies was named to the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers by Working Mother magazine and in 2002, the company was also named one of the 100 best companies to work for by Fortune magazine. In 2003, Minnesota Monthly magazine named Ms. Carlson Nelson Minnesotan of the Year.

She currently serves on the boards of Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Mayo Clinic Foundation, and the Singapore Tourism Council. In 2002, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to chair the National Women's Business Council. The council serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President and Congress on public policy issues that support women business owners. In July 2003, she received the Swedish American of the Year honor from King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Return to International ATHENA Award