Mireille Guiliano – Her Success Secrets:

Author of the best selling books – French Women Don’t Get Fat and her new book – Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire, Mireille Guiliano spent 20 years at Veuve Clicquot, becoming CEO and senior executive at LVMH. With Guiliano at the helm, one of the few women to reach the top of the luxury goods industry, the champagne’s share of the U.S. market went from one to 25 percent. Today Guiliano lives in Greenwich Village in New York and in Paris, with her husband Edward.

She spoke recently with me and the women of Turner Broadcasting System and shared some of her success secrets.

On the Future: She’s optimistic. “I see opportunities even where others see no jobs.” She believes the recession will benefit women in a big way. “When women rule the world, and we will, we will have the opportunity to change things. No more meetings at 7:30PM.”

On Mentoring: She asks groups of women, “‘How many of you have a mentor?’ Only 15% raise their hands. Then I say, ‘How many of you love chocolate!’ All the hands go up.” She says women need mentors more than chocolate. And they need to get out of their comfort zone to ask others to support and guide them.”

On How She Got There: Initially Guiliano ran PR and then HR for Veuve Clicquot. When the CEO spot came open, she says two men at the company were up for the job. But due to circumstances, both were forced out of the company and Guiliano became the interim CEO. Ultimately she was tapped to run fast growing enterprise.

On Fear: “Ban it from your vocabulary. We have to stop saying ‘I’m scared.’ Ask yourself, ‘What’s the worst that can happen.'”

On A Bad Boss: “If you don’t like your boss – fire him.” If you decide to keep your boss, Guiliano suggests making sure “you make your boss look good!” The effort will come back to you. It also will help your career to let your boss know what you need to be happy and productive.”

On Success: “Success goes not necessarily to the smartest, but to those who are fighters, who work hard.”

On French Women: “American women are more advanced because of the feminist movement. There are fewer women in the board room in France. Business is more male dominated.”

On Balance: “Learn to say ‘no’. The French almost always put their personal life first.” She recommends taking the day off to go to the beach or do something just for you. And, “Life is too short to drink bad wine or have meals with people you don’t like.”

On 80 Hour Work Weeks: “I’m lazy. I love to go to the beach and read a book. But I work hard at life.” On Staying Thin: “Eat protein in the morning. Drink water throughout the day. And walk a lot.”

On Her Future: Her next book, French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook, comes out in the spring.

By Cynthia Good