Lead image of Fortune 500 top 10 female CEOs
the most recentFortune 500 listfeatures the highest number of women-led companies since its inception: 33, nine more than last year, which had 24. This increase is partly due to the fact that several female CEOs were appointed before June 2019, including Kathy Warden of Northrop Grumman and Best Buy. Corie Barry. However, there is still much work to be done, as these 33 women represent a disproportionately small number of the total list, with only 6.6% of Fortune 500 companies headed by women.
The continuous increase shows the progress, with Fortune himselfspeculatingthat the rise in female CEOs is due in part to greater diversity at the board level: 15 years ago, women accounted for 15.7% of Fortune 500 board positions; now it is 25.5 percent.
Read on to discover the top 10 female CEOs in the latest Fortune 500 ranking, based on your company's position on the list...
1) Maria T. Barra
Company:General Motors (GM)
Fortune 500 ranking:13
Mary Barra first studied at the General Motors Institute, specializing in electrical engineering. However, she also worked for them in 1980 in Detroit, where she demonstrated her leadership skills as an assembly plant manager. She completed her MBA fromStanford Graduate School of Businessin 1990.
Founded in 1908, GM has grown into a multinational corporation that designs and produces used vehicles around the world. Interestingly, GM is the only automaker still headquartered in Detroit, historically known as the 'Motor City.'
2) Gail K. Boudreaux
Company:Hino
Fortune 500 ranking:33
Born in 1960, Gail Koziara Boudreaux attendeddartmouth collegeto her undergraduate degree, where she was also a standout player for the Dartmouth Big Greens women's basketball team. She completed her MBA inColombian Business Schoolin 1989.
She worked at various US healthcare companies, including Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, and UnitedHealthcare, before being named CEO of Anthem in 2017. Anthem Inc.
3) Virginia M. Rometty
Company:IBM
Fortune 500 ranking:38
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Virginia M. Rometty was born in 1957. She attendedNorthwestern Universityfrom 1975 to 1979, on a General Motors scholarship, completing a bachelor's degree in computer science and electrical engineering. She joined IBM as a systems engineer in 1981, rising through the ranks to head of global sales, before assuming the role of president and CEO in January 2012.
IBM is one of the world's largest information technology companies, with approximately 381,000 employees. Despite its New York headquarters, about 70% of IBM's employees are outside the United States, with the highest percentage in India.
4) Marillyn A. Hewson
Company:Lockheed Martin
Fortune 500 ranking:60
Marillyn Hewson was born in Kansas in 1953 and attended theuniversity of alabamafor both his Bachelor's in Business Administration and his Master's in Economics. Hewson also completed executive development programs at Columbia Business School andHarvard Business School🇧🇷 She joined Lockheed Martin over 35 years ago as an Industrial Engineer. CEO since 2013, Hewson previously held many other senior roles at the company, including Senior Vice President of Enterprise Shared Services.
Lockheed Martin is the world's leading arms manufacturer, an American corporation in the aerospace, defense, security and technology industries. Its biggest contractors are the US government, which generates $38.4 billion of its annual sales.
5) Corie Barry
Company:Best Buy
Fortune 500 ranking:74
Corie Barry, a 44-year-old Minnesota native, has a bachelor's degree from the College of St. Benedict (where she is now a trustee) in accounting and management. She joined Best Buy in 1999 and has held various operational and financial roles throughout the organization, becoming CFO in 2016 and elected CEO in 2019.
Best Buy was originally founded in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music. It was renamed in 1983 and now sells a wide range of consumer electronics. It has stores in the US and Canada, as well as several in the UK under the Best Buy Europe brand.
6) Safra A. Catz
Company:Oracle
Fortune 500 ranking:81
Safra Catz was born in Holon, Israel, in 1961 and moved to the United States at the age of six. She earned her bachelor's degree inwharton schoolfrom the University of Pennsylvania in 1983, followed by a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1986. He joined Oracle in 1999, became a board member in 2001, and replaced founder Larry Ellison as CEO in 2014.
Founded in 1977, Oracle Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation specializing in database software and technology, engineering cloud systems, and enterprise software products.
7) Phoebe N. Novakovic
Company:General Dynamics
Fortune 500 ranking:92
Born in Pennsylvania in 1957, Phebe Novakovic is of Serbian descent. She received her bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1979, followed by an MBA from The Wharton School in 1988. Novakovic joined General Dynamics in 2001 and became CEO in January 2013. Prior to that, she has had a Rich and diverse professional history, including a stint as a CIA agent.
General Dynamics is an American aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. It is the fifth largest defense contractor in the United States and the sixth largest in the world by sales.
8) Susan Patricia Griffith
Company:Progressive
Fortune 500 ranking:99
Susan Patricia (Tricia) Griffith was born in October 1964 in Illinois. She answeredIllinois State Universityfor his undergraduate degree and also completed an advanced management program at The Wharton School. Griffith joined Progressive in 1988 as a claims representative, rising through the ranks before being named CEO in July 2016.
The Progressive Corporation is an American insurance company founded nearly a century ago in 1937. It insures motorcycles, boats, RVs, and commercial vehicles, as well as home insurance. Internationally, it offers car insurance in Australia.
9) Heyward Donigan
Company:help ritual
Fortune 500 ranking:107
Heyward Donigan has a BA in English fromUniversity of Virginia, in addition to a Master's Degree in Public Administration from thenew york university🇧🇷 He has more than 30 years of experience in the health industry; Prior to her appointment to Rite Aid, she was president and CEO of Sapphire Digital, which builds omnichannel platforms to help consumers choose healthcare providers. She was named executive director of Rite Aid in 2019.
Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain in the United States, the largest on the East Coast, and the third largest in the United States. Founded 57 years ago in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it now has 2,466 stores across the country.
10) Kathy J. Warden
Company:Northrop Grumman
Fortune 500 ranking:108
Kathy J. Warden earned her BA from James Madison University in 1992 and an MBA fromUniversidad George Washingtonin 1999. He specializes in information technology and cybersecurity and has worked for General Electric, Veridian Corporation, and General Dynamics. Warden joined Northrop Grumman in 2008 and served as vice president of the company's cybersecurity business before being named chief executive officer in 2019.
Northrop Grumman is an American global aerospace and defense technology company. They recently developed the award-winning X-47B, the world's first autonomous unmanned aerial system to operate from an aircraft carrier.
Apply to join theglobalQS Women in Leadership Eventon December 7. This event highlights the career benefits for women pursuing an MBA or Master of Business. your career opportunities through graduate education.
Do you want more content like this?Sign up for free site membershipfor regular updates and your own personal content feed.
FAQs
How many Fortune 500 CEOs are female? ›
...
Fortune 500 women CEOs as of 2021 (47 women)
CEO | Laura L. Prieskorn |
---|---|
Company | Jackson Financial |
Fortune 500 rank | 395 |
Start date | February 12, 2021 |
Katharine Graham made history after becoming the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Graham began working at the Washington Post in 1938 and led the paper from 1963 until 1991.
How many black CEOs are in the Fortune 500? ›Only six Black CEOs sit at the helm of Fortune 500 companies this year, barely making up 1% of that group.
Who is the best female CEO in the world? ›Name | Company | Corporate Accolades |
---|---|---|
Safra Catz | Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) | No. 80 Fortune 500 |
Phebe Novakovic | General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) | No. 84 Fortune 500 |
Sonia Syngal | Gap (NYSE:GPS) | No. 221 Fortune 500 |
Lynsi Snyder | In-N-Out Burger | No. 6 Forbes America's Best Employers |
The most recent Fortune 500 list features the highest number of female-led companies since its inception: 33, a jump of nine from last year which featured 24. This boost is in part due to several female CEOs being appointed before June 2019, including Northrop Grumman's Kathy Warden and Best Buy's Corie Barry.
How many black female CEOs are in the Fortune 500? ›Brewer is the third Black female to serve as CEO at a Fortune 500 company. Ursula Burns was CEO of Xerox Co. from 2010-16, and Mary Winston was interim CEO at Bed Bath & Beyond in 2019.
Who is the richest female CEO? ›...
Top female CEOs:
- Lisa T. Su. Advanced Micro Devices. ...
- Mary T. Barra. General Motors. ...
- Phebe N. Novakovic. General Dynamics. ...
- Adena Friedman. Nasdaq. $20 million. ...
- Kathy J. Warden.
As CEO of personal styling service Stitch Fix, Lake has quietly changed the game for women in corporate America. In 2017, at 34, she became the youngest female founder ever to take a company public.
How many female CEOs are there in the United States? ›There are only 44 women and 6 Black CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies.
Is there a black millionaire? ›
Specifically, Black people represent 8% of total millionaires in the U.S., 76% are white, 8% are Asian, and the Hispanic community captures 7% of the total millionaire population across the country.
Does Disney have any black executives? ›The The Walt Disney Company executive team is 44% female and 56% male. 61% of the management team is White. 16% of The Walt Disney Company management is Hispanic or Latino. 9% of the management team is Black or African American.
How many female CEOs are there in Fortune 1000? ›There are 31 women CEOs in the Fortune 1000, as of September 2021. Since January 2020, there has been an addition of 7 women CEOs to the Fortune 1000.
Who is the most successful female entrepreneurs? ›- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. Billionaire businesswoman Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder and executive chairperson of Biocon. ...
- Falguni Nayar. Related stories. ...
- Ela Bhatt.
- Vani Kola.
- Radhika Ghai Aggarwal.
- Shahnaz Husain.
- Upasana Taku.
With a net worth of $2.6 billion, Oprah Winfrey is the most famous woman entrepreneur in media and entertainment. Winfrey runs the multinational cable network OWN and co-founded Oxygen Media. Ariana Huffington and Rihanna are among the top entrepreneurs in media and entertainment, along with Katy Perry, and Beyoncé.
How many companies in the world have a woman as top manager or CEO around 2% around 10% around 18%? ›Correct answer. Around 18% of companies worldwide have female top managers.
How much does a female CEO make? ›Female CEO median pay rose 26.4% in 2021 to $15.8 million, with 15 of the 18 women CEOs in the survey seeing an increase. Median means half made more than that level, and half made less. That was a bigger jump than that for male CEOs' median pay, which rose 17.7% to $14.4 million.
Who was the first female CEO in America? ›See how Anna Bissell became a successful businesswoman in an era where business was almost wholly a masculine field. Legacy: Bissell Inc.
Who is the first black female billionaire? ›CBS: The Rise and Success of the First Black Female Billionaire Sheila Johnson.
Who was the first black female millionaires? ›Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919) was “the first Black woman millionaire in America” and made her fortune thanks to her homemade line of hair care products for Black women.
Are there any black owned Fortune 500 companies? ›
The Fortune 500 List Has A 'Record Number' Of Black CEOs — But There's Still Only 6 Of Them. Bernadette Giacomazzo. May 30, 2022.
How many female CEOs are in Fortune 1000? ›There are 31 women CEOs in the Fortune 1000, as of September 2021. Since January 2020, there has been an addition of 7 women CEOs to the Fortune 1000.
How has the number of female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies changed over the last 20 years? ›2022 is seeing a new record of female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies. As of March, there were 74 female CEOs employed at America's 500 highest-grossing companies, up from 41 in June of 2021 and only 7 in 2002.
What percentage of Fortune 500 companies board members are female? ›As of March, there were 74 female CEOs employed at America's 500 highest-grossing companies, up from 41 in June of 2021 and only 7 in 2002. Yet, the new high still only translates to around 15 percent female representation at the top of the country's biggest public businesses.