Susan Ivey, who announced last week that she plans to retire as  Reynolds American's top executive, got leadership advice from her mother.

One message is that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason, Ivey told a group of Wake Forest University business students on Thursday, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.

“Great leaders listen, they learn and then they lead,” Ivey said. "The common wisdom is that great leaders are great communicators. Most of them are, but the less-common wisdom is that 80 percent of good communicating is good listening.”

It was one of Ivey’s first public appearances since her announcement that she plans to retire as Reynolds’ chairwoman on Oct. 31 and as CEO on Feb. 28.

Susan Ivey plans to retire early next year as CEO of tobacco maker Reynolds American, one of the state's largest publicly traded companies.

Ivey, 51, has run Reynolds since 2004, and has expanded the Winston-Salem company beyond its core market of Camel, Natural American Spirit and other cigarettes into smokeless tobacco and even nicotine replacement products.

Fortune magazine last month named Ivey No. 22 on its annual list of the most powerful women in business.

Daniel Delen, head of the company's cigarette division will replace Ivey as CEO in February. Thomas Wajnert, a Reynolds director, will replace Ivey as chairman of the board Nov. 1.

Deirdre Connelly continues her climb on Fortune magazine's annual list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.

Connelly, 50, a top executive at GlaxoSmithKline, rose to No. 27 on this year's list, up 10 spots from last year.

As president of North American pharmaceuticals for the British company, Connelly oversees GSK's Triangle operations and its 5,000 employees in Research Triangle Park and Zebulon.

She reports to CEO Andrew Witty and is responsible for helping GSK scientists find promising new drugs and boosting sales of existing products.

As Fortune notes, Connelly's "$15-billion-a-year business hinges on its respiratory franchise. The hope: that Relovair, now in clinical trials, replaces Advair, the blockbuster GSK drug whose patent soon expires."

Joining GlaxoSmithKline boosted Deirdre Connelly's power ranking.

Connelly, who became head of GSK's North American pharmaceutical business in February, is No. 37 on Fortune Magazine's latest list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in business. Connelly, 49, defected to GSK after spending 25 years at rival Eli Lilly.

Connelly was No. 42 in last year's Fortune list.

She is the top ranking official at GSK's U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park and oversees key drugs such as the asthma treatment Advair. The British drug maker employs more than 5,000 in the Triangle but has been shedding jobs to cut costs amid slowing U.S. sales.

A few other Tar Heels made Fortune's latest list.