The women representation at the top of Fortune 500 companies is less than resounding. Only 7% of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies are female, as of September 2020. Infact, in 2019, 336 billionaires were female, that is approximately 11.9% of the total billionaires.
Jane Fraser will be the head of Citigroup and will take her new role in February 2021. She will add to the illustrious list of women CEOs of fortune 500 companies. She will be the leading the third biggest female led company in the US & will also be the first woman to lead a major US bank.
Mary Barra has the distinction of leading the biggest Fortune 500 company in America. She heads the General Motors group with $137.2 billion revenue in 2019. She is the first female CEO of a major automaker company. She has been the CEO & Chairman of GM since January 2014. Gail Boudreaux is next on the list, she is the CEO of Anthem since November 2017. Anthem with a revenue of $104.2 billion is the second largest company with a woman CEO. Anthem provides health insurance in America.
Jane Fraser will be the CEO of Citigroup, the $103.4 billion revenue bank. Jane Fraser will be among the top three CEOs of the world that manage more than a $100 billion in revenues. Jane Fraser says, “Being a mother of young children and having a career is the toughest thing I have ever had to do. You are exhausted, guilty, and you must learn how to do things differently. It was the making of me because I became much more 80-20 – focusing on what was really important – got good at saying no, and also became more human to the clients who also face many of these issues too.”
Carol Tome is the CEO of UPS, a group known for its global shipping and logistics services. The UPS group had a revenue of $74.1 billion and is the fourth largest company managed by a female executive at its top position. Carol Tome was appointed CEO of the group earlier this year in June. Corie Barry is the CEO of Best Buy, which had a revenue of $43.6 billion last year. The electronics and technology retailer named Corie Barry as its CEO in June 2019. Corie Barry took over the reins of the company at the age of 44 last year, making her one of the youngest CEOs of a Fortune 500 company.
Safra Katz is sixth CEO on the largest companies by revenue run by female CEOs. Safra Katz is CEO of Oracle, a technology giant with a revenue of $39.5 billion. She has served as Oracle’s CEO since September, 2014 when she was named the joint CEO with another executive. Safra Katz is also a billionaire, as per 2019 Forbes billionaires list.
Phebe Novakoic became the CEO & Chairwoman of General Dynamics in January, 2013. General Dynamics is a defense giant with an annual revenue of $39.4 billion. She is the only female executive in the military industrial space as per Forbes. Phebe Novakoic says, “Men will follow women, and they’ll work with women if they believe that you are as committed, as tough, as relentless.”
Tricia Griffith is CEO of the eighth largest company run by a female executive. Tricia has been the CEO of Progressive since July 2016. Progressive is one of the largest car insurance companies in the US. Tricia started as a claims representative in 1988 and worked her way to the top position. She knows the company like the back of her hand.
Kathy Warden takes the ninth and last spot on this list. She is the CEO of Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense technology company. Kathy has served as the CEO of the defense giant since January, 2019. Kathy believes resilience and agility are crucial to handle the disruptions of the business environment today. She is a cyber security and information technology expert leading the challenges of business administration.
Executives like Indra Nooyi, who served as CEO of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018 have set the benchmark for female executives quite high. She once said, “Because the CEO job is a brutal job. Especially as a woman CEO, you are the focus of everybody and they’re looking to see what you do wrong so they can really bring you down. You have to buckle down and say, ‘I’m here for the long haul.”
While the business world thrives on meritocracy, a slight increase in the number of female CEOs will bring more equity and balance to the top echelons of the business world.
