When Christie Hefner began working with her father's company in the mid-'70s, her plan wasn't originally to stay on longterm. Instead, she spent more than two decades with Playboy Enterprises, working her way up to Chairman of the Board and CEO in 1988. She told Start TV, "It was a very creative environment. I found that much more fascinating than I expected."
During her tenure, she grew the company's international and electronic division, and expanded the brand to include television and the web, the first for any magazine. Hefner said, "The most valuable skill to have is intellectual agility, and I think that comes from intellectual curiosity."
In early 2009, she stepped down from her position at Playboy to focus more time on her charitable work and philanthropy. She was named executive chairman of Canyon Ranch Enterprises in 2011, and after leaving four years later, became chairman of Hatch Beauty.
Learn what Christie Hefner considers "the secret to great leadership":
