Carly Fiorina was denied a position in the main GOP debate last night, but the feisty former executive was the clear winner of both events. In fact, she did so well in the 5 p.m. EDT Fox debate that her presence carried over into the main debate at 9 p.m.

The one-time Hewlett Packard CEO demonstrated a command presence and clear knowledge of the issues and - except for hitting Donald Trump hard for his previous relationship and monetary support of the Clintons - was the one candidate who consistently took the fight to the opposition party, specifically Democratic presidential candidate and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Prior to Thursday's debate, Fiorina was known more for her business career than her political affiliations and ambitions, which is one reason she has been lagging in the national polls at about 2 percent. But after the memorable performance she's sure to enjoy a huge surge in the coming days. No doubt she'll make it to the main debate stage next time.

So who is Carly Fiorina?

Here are 10 Facts you need to know about this smart, commanding woman.

• Fiorina is 60 years old.

• She was raised an Episcopalian and has been married twice.

• She attended Stanford University for her undergraduate degree and later went to The University of Maryland and MIT for a pair of masters degrees.

• Fiorina worked her way up to positions of executive leadership after starting in the mail room and as a secretary at multiple companies.

• She was CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005.

• She presided over the largest high-tech merger in history when she merged HP with Compaq.

• Fiorina was an advisor to John McCain during his 2008 presidential run.

• She authored an autobiography called "Tough Choices" and was the subject of two biographies, "Backfire" and "Perfect Enough: Carly Fiorina and the Reinvention of Hewlett-Packard."

• Fiorina founded the international women's empowerment group One Woman Initiative (OWI) in 2008.

• Fiorina suffered from breast cancer in 2009 and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy treatments. She has remained cancer free since.