They can make or break a company, and they earn millions of dollars. But are they popular? A new survey conducted by business insights website Owler has produced a list of most-liked chief executives in Los Angeles. Two leaders in the San Fernando Valley ranked among the top 20 – Sharon Rowland of ReachLocal at No. 5 and Robert Bradway of Amgen Inc. at No. 12. According to Owler Chief Executive Jim Fowler, the “most-liked CEO” survey is one of the site’s most popular pieces of research; there is high participation by users, and the list gets a lot of web traffic after it’s published. “When we read stories about business, they are really about the people,” said Fowler. “And CEOs are the most representative person for most companies.” The methodology of the survey is simple. Owler asks users who follow a company on their site to rate the CEO with a score of “good,” “neutral” or “bad.” Users are not required to be an employee of the company that they are voting for. Each user may cast their vote once. Woodland Hills internet marketing company ReachLocal appointed Rowland as chief executive in April 2014. Since her appointment, the company has been acquired by Gannett Co. for about $156 million, and recently announced marketing partnerships with social media giant Facebook Inc. “As a leader, I place a tremendous value in our people at ReachLocal and have made it my mission to empower our team to make decisions that put our clients first,” Rowland said. “When employees feel empowered and heard, they feel trusted and know they can make an impact.” Before ReachLocal, Rowland served as chief executive at Thomson Financial, Penton Media and Altegrity. Last year she won the Gold Stevie Award in the Female Executive category. At Thousand Oaks biotech Amgen, Bradway runs one of the largest companies in Southern California with about 19,200 full-time employees, according to Thomson Financial. Since his tenure at Amgen started in 2012, the company has thrived. The company’s revenue has increased to $23 billion from $17.3 billion, a 33 percent increase. A steady pipeline of drugs has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including Blincyto in 2014, Corlanor in 2015, Repatha in 2015 and Imlygic in 2015. Prior to joining Amgen in 2006, Bradway worked as managing director of investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Amgen declined to comment for this story. Fowler said the product which the CEO creates is the most important factor in determining his or her likeability, and it doesn’t have much to do with their personality. “They are a personification of a great product,” he said. “They are usually great product people and they have a natural feel for the market.”
