Loida Nicolas Lewis 

Loida Nicolas-Lewis is the CEO of TLC Beatrice, From 1994 through 2000, she served as the CEO and Chairwoman of the $2 billion multinational food company, TLC Beatrice International, which operates across Europe. When her husband, Reginald F. Lewis who is a Wall Street investor, died, she took over one of America's largest companies.

Loida Nicolas-Lewis was born to a family of entrepreneurs in 1942 in Sorsogon Philippines. She is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law. She is currently based in New York City. 

 

A Filipino-American businesswoman and lawyer, business icon, philanthropist and human rights advocate; Lewis was the first Filipino woman to pass the New York Bar without attending law school in the U.S. She’s also one of the founders of Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Lewis discusses the role of Filipino women in the home and business world; giving back; fighting discrimination and her struggle when her husband died. She shares how she relied on her family and background–as well as her unique strengths as a woman–during her toughest challenges.

 

She shares her true to life story in her book Why Should Guys Have All the Fun?: An Asian American Story of Love, Marriage, Motherhood, and Running a Billion Dollar Empire.