Movie director George Lucas and Mellody Hobson attend the 2009 opening night of "Dreamgirls" at the Apollo Theater in New York City. (Jemal Countess/Getty)

The challenges women face often cut across industries. But some are also unique to specific sectors. Women who have risen high in four industries — finance, health, technology and media — sought to illuminate these issues by recounting their own experiences and assessing how women generally have fared in their fields.

Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments in Chicago, spoke with The Wall Street Journal’s Rebecca Blumenstein. Julie Louise Gerberding, president of Merck & Co.’s Merck Vaccines unit, sat down with the Journal’s Laura Landro. Marissa Mayer, Google Inc.’s vice president, consumer products, talked with the Journal’s Julia Angwin. And Debra L. Lee, chairman and chief executive of BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc., spoke with the Journal’s Alessandra Galloni. Get the full story »