Did Good Looks Make These CEOs Successful? You Vote!

There is no question that being attractive is a career asset, in Sales and everywhere else in the business world. As if to emphasize this point, there have been a number of articles on the Internet documenting "Hot CEOs" of both sexes.

However, I'm wondering to what extent "hotness" is a factor in the career arc of some of the world's most successful people. So I've gathered a gallery of 20 CEOs, some of whom have been featured in "most attractive" lists, as well as others who have an undeniable ability to make the hearts of at least some segment of the population go all pit-a-pat.

Your job is simple. Flip through this gallery of CEOs and access, according to your best business judgment, whether that CEO's appearance played, or has played, a major or a minor role in that CEO's personal success. Vote in each poll, then move to the next CEO.

Later this month, I'll compile and post the results.

Click for the first CEO

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Jason Kilar: Hulu

There's no question that Jason Kilar has serious business cred. He joined Hulu after nearly a decade of experience at Amazon.com, some time at Disney Design & Development, following an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a Phi Beta Kappa degree from the University of North Carolina. So how come he looks like somebody who ought to be on the next hit comedy/drama, rather than running a TV website?

Ashley Olsen: Elizabeth and James


Wallis Simpson famously said that "no woman can be too rich or too thin." Maybe so, but that was long before the Olsen twins were born. Arguably more famous for their "acting" than their fashion products, their respective lines of clothing generate millions of dollars every year. As a CEO, Ashley has been the more successful. (Ten extra points for identifying which of the twins is Ashley.)

Dolvett Quince: Body Sculptor

While fitness and training (as well as a major fitness studio), are at the core of Dolvett's business, he has also been modeling and acting for nearly ten years. He has appeared in various magazines and in ad campaigns for companies such Nike and Russell Athletics. In addition, he's had a recurring role on Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet the Browns.

Andrea Young: Avon


Although Andrea Jung was a lackluster student, she managed to get into Princeton and later rise to became CEO of Avon Products, which she's revamped as a hipper, cooler company. As Institutional Investor wrote of Jung, "How many other chief executives embody their companies the way Andrea Jung does? Sleek, stylishly turned out, with signature pearl choker and mane of sable hair, she is confident and assertive, the perfect image for her newly invigorated Avon Products."

Hugh Hefner: Playboy


While he may come off like a "dirty old man" to women of a certain age, there's no question that Hugh Hefner has no problems whatever attracting a women of a somewhat younger certain age. That's true today, and it was true decades abot when he was only an aspiring photographer with a big dream and a pipe to go with it.

Carol Meyrowitz: TJX
Carol Meyrowitz has turned TJX Companies into the leading off-price retailer in the United States. In 2006, she ranked 26th on CNN's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, and in 2009, Forbes ranked her 24th in their list of the 100 Most Powerful Women. Even so, there's no question that she has the kind of upscale, foxy appeal that would work just as easily on a reality show as it does in the boardroom.

Mark Zuckerberg: FaceBook


Sure, he's nerdy... but how many nerds were the subject of an Oscar-nominated film? And there's no denying that to a certain type of girl, this kind of unpolished nerd has all the attraction of do-it-yourself fixit project... especially if he comes with billions of dollars to help with the renovation.

Julie Smolyansky: Lifeway Foods


Julie Smolyansky became CEO of Lifeway Foods the old fashioned way, she was the daughter of the company's founder. Still, she's taken the company's organic products from niche to mainstream in part because she embodies the good health that her company's products promise to consumers. Even the Lifeway corporate website credits her success as "the result of good genes." What do you think?

Larry Ellison: Oracle


Larry Ellison has always been the most macho of the high tech CEOs, even going so far as to compare himself to the character of billionaire Tony Stark of Iron Man fame. (Ellison had a cameo in the recent sequel.) Ellison flies fighter jets, competes in the America's Cup, and has been linked romantically to so many intelligent, beautiful women that even Hugh Hefner must be a trifle envious.

Angela Braly: Wellpoint


Texas-born Angela F. Braly has been CEO of the huge health care company since 2007, following several high-profile roles for the company. Forbes listed Braly as the sixteenth most powerful woman in the world in 2007, fourth most powerful in 2008, and eighth most powerful in 2009. Nevertheless, there's no questiong that she's got the classic good looks and perfect smile that makes Texas the beauty-pageant capitol of the United States.

Matthew McCauley: Gymboree


McCauley's first job was framing houses, and with those looks, it's not difficult to imagine him impressing any desperate housewifes who might have hired him. His attractiveness is, of course, only enhanced by the fact that he's the CEO of arguably one of the world's most pricey children's clothing store. A chiselled jaw and all the $80 baby frocks you want. An unbeatable combination for some, no doubt.

Anil Ambani: Reliance ADA


Anil Ambani is almost as famous in India for running in the Mumbai Marathon as he is for running one of the world's largest private conglomerates. In addition to being one of the richest men in the world, Ani is married to arguably one of the world's greatest beauties, Bollywood Actress Tina Munim, with whom he has two son. An irrepressible fitness buff, he runs several miles before breakfast and drinks 6 litres of water every day.

Ralph Giles: Dodge


He's more than just a CEO... he's a customer. An avid racer, having participated in the Targa Newfoundland Rally and the Car and Driver One Lap of America. He's also responsible for some the sexiest designs to come of out Chrysler in years, including the iconic luxury sedan 2005 Chrysler 300.

Richard Branson: Virgin Group


Richard Branson is certainly famous for growing and running his definitely not-titular Virgin Group, but he's also famous for peccadillos like having sex in an airline toilet with a 19-year old stranger. And he's certainly not adverse to playing up that image, most recently in a cameo appearance in the TV show Entourage, where he appeared with a "babe on each arm."

Sara Blakely: Spanx


For you regular Sales Machine readers, be it known Sara Blakely is one of our own, having cut her teeth in business selling copiers and office equipment. With a five thousand dollar investment (gotta love those commissions, eh), Blakely opened SPANX to sell a variety of underwear, notably its footless pantyhose and bodyshaping undergarments. The company today has more than 50 employees, a separate brand at Target (ASSETS), and $150 million in retail sales.

Sharen Turney: Victoria's Secret


Victoria's Secret is famous for its scantily-clad "angels," but the angel who makes decisions at the company is definitely Sharen Turney. While she's not a fashion model, she's definitely right inside the demographic that the company is trying to reach -- women who want to feel pretty inside and out.

Tamera Mellon: Jimmy Choo


It's not every CEO who can (almost) bare her breasts to launch a new product. Mellon starred in the campaign for Jimmy Choo's first-ever fragrance. EVen so, Mellon is hardly a business lightweight. As of this writing, Jimmy Choo, Ltd. is seeking a £650 million initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong.

Teresa Phillips: Graspr


Graspr is an online video community that offers instructional content, but nobody needed to instruct founder Teresa Phillips on how to look good. Throughout her 14-year tenure in high-tech, Teresa has served in product and operations roles in several start-ups including CyberCash, InterCon Systems, and Indigo. She also served for 7 years in the U.S. Army.

Tim Armstrong: America Online

Google alumni took over AOL in 2009, where he quickly shepherded the company through a public offering and a highly publicized acquisition of the Huffington Post. Some women might not think him a hottie, but there's no question that uber-Cougar Ariana Huffington thinks he's cute as a bug's ear. Check out this video, and the quick hand to her neck as she looks at him. Not to mention the constant talk about their "visions merging."

READERS: Any other CEOs who should have been included?
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