In its 26th annual edition, Fortune has unveiled its list of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Business”, highlighting both prominent and emerging leaders from diverse sectors worldwide.
For the first time in the history of the list, Fortune is releasing a unified global list that acknowledges the top 100 businesswomen. This decision underscores the international nature of contemporary executive roles, paralleled by an unprecedented number of women at the helm of Fortune 500 companies, which rank the largest U.S. firms by revenue, and the Fortune Global 500, spotlighting the premier corporations globally.
67 women on the list boast the title of CEO, including several who have only recently taken on leadership roles. Notably, Margherita Della Valle has taken the reins at Vodafone, a UK-based telecommunications giant, as of April. Similarly, Sandy Ran Xu began her tenure as the leader of JD.com, a Chinese e-commerce behemoth, in May, and Vanessa Hudson began steering Qantas, Australia’s primary airline, as of September. Each of these dynamic women are breaking new ground as the inaugural female CEO of their respective corporations.
Others are leaving indelible marks early in their career trajectories. Two such examples include Mira Murati, a 34-year-old at the forefront of technology as OpenAI’s CTO, and Susan Li, the CFO of Meta. Meanwhile, industry trailblazers like Kim Kardashian, who co-founded the $4 billion Skims shapewear line, are spearheading some of the globe’s most lucrative startups.
Highlighting a positive trend in corporate leadership, Fortune indicates that of the 106 global CEO transitions in the first half of this year, women constituted 13% of successors—a substantial increase from the 2.4% in 2018. Their observation summarises this shift: “The business world is demanding change, and women leaders are meeting the moment.”
The Top 10 from Fortune’s 2023 Most Powerful Women in Business are:
- Karen S. Lynch, President and CEO, CVS Health (U.S.)
- Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture (U.S.)
- Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, General Motors (U.S.)
- Jane Fraser, CEO, Citigroup (U.S.)
- Jessica Tan, Executive Director, Co-CEO, Ping An (China)
- Carol Tomé, CEO, UPS (U.S.)
- Emma Walmsley, CEO, GSK (U.K.)
- Ruth Porat, President, CIO, CFO, Alphabet and Google (U.S.)
- Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director and CEO, Macquarie (Australia)
- Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO, Elevance Health (U.S.)
For a third year in a row, Karen S. Lynch of CVS Health has secured the premier position. Her leadership has ushered CVS Health into the #11 spot on the Fortune Global 500. The acquisition of Oak Street Health and Signify Health at a combined value of $19 billion last year reflects CVS Health’s transformative vision. This vision, first evident with the 2018 purchase of insurer Aetna, underscores the company’s transition from a conventional drugstore and pharmacy manager to a key player in the healthcare domain.
