Growing up on a livestock farm in Central Illinois, Debra Kuper thought becoming a lawyer would mean leaving the agriculture industry behind. But as vice president, general counsel and secretary of farm equipment manufacturer AGCO Corp., she unites her history on the farm with her skills as an attorney every single day.

“I know the customers,” she says. “I know the importance of having a sophisticated piece of machinery. I know it's their livelihood.”

Kuper started her in-house career with construction equipment company Case Corp. Case merged with a competitor, New Holland, in 1999, forming manufacturing giant CNH Global. As a result of the merger, several members of Case's legal team were laid off–but Kuper was promoted to senior counsel of corporate governance.