From: http://www.bizjournals.com/

Safra Catz: The database company announced last Thursday that its founder, Larry Ellison, was stepping down and that Catz — Oracle’s co-president and chief financial officer — would be sharing the CEO title with fellow longtime exec and co-president Mark Hurd. Just last year, Catz was named the highest-paid CFO in the country, earning nearly $44 million in 2013. Nevertheless, a recent Wall Street Journal article quoted tech industry executives as saying the company needs to look to big data and software as a service “or risk losing its grip on the market.” Plus, having two CEOs hasn’t historically been a good thing for companies. Fortune spoke with several experts who said the setup causes conflict, prompts negative performance and creates hostility. We’ll be watching to see how Catz rises to the challenge.

Anna Isaacson: Last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell promoted her to VP of social responsibility for the league. At the same time, he appointed three domestic violence experts to serve as advisers to the NFL. We’ll be watching to see what this week brings for all of them as the league tries to claw its way out of the Ray Rice controversy.

Paula Deen: She’s back, ya’ll. The queen of deep-friend Southern goodness isattempting a digital comeback after her epic fall from grace last year, when she admitted to using racially charged language. Her new online, subscription-based TV network premieres Wednesday, according to the Wall Street Journal. Deen has amassed a $100 million private-equity investment from Najafi Cos. to finance the venture, and subscribers will be asked to pay between $7.99 and $9.99 to access her online shows. Deen has also bought the rights to all her old Food Network episodes for use on the new network. We’ll be watching to see if Deen’s allure proves undeniable — like the fried chicken and biscuits I’m suddenly craving as I write.

Mary Barra: The GM CEO is another big name on the list of speakers for the Clinton Global Initiative(and there’s more even beyond her — Katie Couric, Melinda Gates, Valerie Jarrett, Melanne Verveer— but I promise, this column won’t be a rehashing of the event’s speakers list). Barra is slated to join Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma and Chelsea Clinton for a discussion on “Valuing What Matters,” which will delve into what business indicators should define success and progress going forward. The event will mark her highest profile public appearance since her congressional testimony this past summer, according to the Detroit News. We’ll be watching to get her thoughts on what should signify success in the future.

Christiana Figueres: The United Nations Climate Change Summit kicks off in New York next week, preceded by massive marches held across the globe Sunday. Figueres is the UN’s climate change chief and considered to be the world’s top climate policymaker. Her task? Getting 195 nations on the carbon-cutting straight and narrow by the end of 2015, according to the Christian Science Monitor. It’s a tall order and could have massive ramifications for businesses around the world. But she doesn’t seem like the type to rattle easily. We’ll be watching for more from her this week.

Sheri McCoy: The CEO of Avon just unveiled the company’s first major overhaul of Avon.com in a decade, and the new and improved site offers everything from video tutorials for shoppers to social media training for Avon Ladies, Fortune reports. The New York-based company has seen a sharp decrease in the number of U.S.-based sales representatives and hopes that the new layout and online commission structure will boost sales, staff and interest in the brand.

Marissa Mayer: Now that the feeding frenzy has started over Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, Yahoo’s CEO will have a lot of cash to work with. Mayer promised shareholders that the company, which owns a large stake in Alibaba, would return half of the IPO proceeds to shareholders — a post-tax sum worth about $5.1 billion, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, a Bizwomen sister publication. Mayer has stayed mum on how Yahoo will use the rest of the money, so we’ll be on the lookout for big announcements this week. It will also be interesting to see what happens to Yahoo’s stock price now. In the months leading up to the IPO, Yahoo’s stock was up 13 percent, but it was down 3 percent as of Friday, the Business Journal reported.

Li Na: The second highest-paid female athlete in the world announced her retirement from professional tennis last week due to knee injuries that have plagued her throughout her career. Na, 32, was the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title. Stacey Allaster, the CEO of the WTA, told the New York Times that Na is poised to have the most impact this decade on the growth of women’s tennis. “We will see the fruit of her contributions. We’re experiencing them now, but they will be long-lasting throughout the rest of this decade, and I believe for decades to come,” Allaster said. The near future will include the establishment of the Li Na Tennis Academy and perhaps starting a family,according to ESPN, but no word on her plans beyond that. We’ll be watching at hints for what else the future could entail.