MORTON GROVER, IL
Lifeway Foods CEO, Julie Smolyansky, has been named on Fortune Magazine’s “40 under 40” list as well as its “55 Most Influential Women on Twitter” list.
"I am honored and humbled to be named on Fortune Magazine's '40 under 40' and '55 Most Influential Women on Twitter' lists," said Smolyansky. "This recognition would not have been possible without the support and dedication of our entire team. Additionally, I share this honor with my brother and our CFO, Ed Smolyansky, as well as our late father and company founder, Michael Smolyansky. Ed and I continue to be inspired by our father and we are proud to carry on his mission to serve the increasing global demand for healthy food options with our nutritious kefir products."
The “40 under 40” list includes heavy hitters like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Brian Chesky (Airbnb), Marissa Mayer (Yahoo) and many other powerful leaders from tech, finance, fashion, film, and real estate who influence the world with their pioneering ideas, according to a press release. The “55 Most Influential Women on Twitter” list names the most popular women who champion gender diversity and leadership professionally and on social media.
Under Smolyansky’s leadership, annual net sales grew 119% to $97.5 million in 2013 from $44.5 million in 2008. The company also entered the Canadian market recently by launching its kefir products in more than 1,000 stores across that country, which was its second international expansion following the 2013 introduction of frozen kefir products in the UK.
Smolyansky became Lifeway’s CEO in 2002 at the age of 27, which made her the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm.
Congratulations on these prestigious honors, Julie!
