Procter & Gamble
top boss Susan Arnold announced her departure from the company
on Monday, March 9, putting her in the running for several
Fortune 500 CEO positions. She is poised to become the
first openly gay CEO of a major U.S. public company,
The Wall Street Journal
reported.
Currently Procter &
Gamble's top female officer, Arnold will step down from her
position and serve in a special assignment until September.
Having previously served as president of P&G's global
business units, she assumed global responsibility for
P&G's personal beauty business in 1999. She was the
first woman to reach a president-level position in the
company.
Arnold also serves as a
board member for the Walt Disney Company, McDonald's, Catalyst,
and Save the Children.
As of 2008, Arnold was
ranked number 7 in Fortune 500's 50 most powerful women (just
ahead of Oprah), and was named one of
Wall Street Journal
's 50 Women to Watch in 2004 and 2005.
She is expected to draw
interest from consumer-oriented companies currently seeking
CEOs, including Sears Holdings Corp. and Playboy, according to
the
Journal
.