By Christopher O | Strong Female Leaders
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Target Audience: Entrepreneurs, Professionals, Professional Women, Solo-Preneurs, Women on Leadership Paths, Business Women, Women Business Owners

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1. Carol M. Meyrowitz, President and CEO of The TJX Companies

Since 2007, Meyrowitz has been developing low-cost retail brands such as TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Marshall's. Today, TJX is a $21 billion business.

Meryrowitz started as an assist buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue, and leveraged hard work and sales savvy to achieve more prominent positions. In 2015, she made a bold move by announcing that TJX would increase minimum wage from $9 to $15 per hour. This improved the financial situations thousands of employees who currently work at one of TJX's thriving stores, and set an example for CEO's who wish to push the envelope.

We love that Meyrowitz came from humble beginnings and took a discount chain to one of the nation's most well-known brands in a highly competitive space. She's a powerhouse female CEO who makes big plans and knows how to execute them. We cannot wait to watch her next move.

2. Cindy Mi, CEO of VIPKid

While Working as an English teacher in China, Mi realized the untapped demand for English language tutors. In fact, Mi had to teach English to herself with tapes and cassettes. The entrepreneur-minded teacher then created a web-based educational tool that could be accessed anywhere. Her idea met the needs of so many people that VIPKid catapulted from a small startup to the biggest K-12 online English language school in the world.

We love Mi's alarming intuition for discovering, exactly, what the market needs, and her passion for teaching and helping people.

3. Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23AndMe

After graduating from Yale University with a biology degree, Wojcicki started 23AndMe while working as an investment analyst. She saw a need for people to be better educated about their personal disease risk and how they can take preventative steps for a healthier life.

Today, 23andMe is a pioneer in biotechnology and genomics. It is also the only FDA-approved individual-based genetics firm. Wojcicki took a gamble to leave a comfortable position in finance to create something that she truly enjoys doing. That's why we feel that she is the best of the up and coming.

4. Laura J Alber, President and CEO of Williams-Sonoma Inc

After joining William-Sonoma in 1995 as a senior buyer, Alber earned several promotions, including the Director of the Pottery Barn Catalog and the President of the Pottery Barn business line. In 2010, the board elected her to replaced W. Howard Lester as the CEO of Williams-Sonoma. Under Alber's leadership, Williams-Sonoma became one of the largest U.S. online retailers, and launched multiple products, partnerships and campaigns. In 2014 and 2015, Fortune Magazine named her "Business Person of the Year."

Alber is innovative, creative and not afraid to try new ideas. We look forward to what she comes up with next.

5. Emily Weiss of Glossier

In 2014, after successfully launching the popular beauty blog, Into the Gloss, Weiss founded Glossier Inc, a digital beauty products company that aims to change how the we view beauty. By developing both online and offline beauty experiences that create conversation and connection amongst the Glossier community, Weiss took a small startup to an up-and-coming beauty company with over 200 employees and $186 million in venture funding.

Since Glossier's debut, Weiss has been named Time's 100 Next and Fortune Magazine's 40 Under 40, and Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business. We are excited to see what this business "beauty" creates next.

6. Julie Bornstein, Former Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Digital Officer Sephora USA Inc., Founder of The Yes App

As the former Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Sephora, Bornstein doubled the size of its online purchases and established the brand as a leader in the e-commerce space. Today, Bornstein is the CEO of The Yes App, an AI-powered shopping platform that helps consumers find personalized products.

The Yes App is completely innovative and the next-gen in the beauty industry. If Bornstein can grow Sephora into the beauty giant it is, we have no doubt that she can do the same for The Yes.

8. Lisa Skeete Tatum, CEO & Co-Founder of Land It

After graduating from Cornell with a degree in chemical engineering, Tatum worked for Procter and Gamble before joining a startup, where she realized how much she enjoyed building a business from the ground up and solving problems with innovative solutions. She then attended Harvard Business School, where she met LandIt co-founder Sheila Marcelo.

LandIt is a personalized career planning platform that helps diverse groups thrive at work. Its intriguing business model certainly deserves our attention, and its CEO certainly sets an example for young women.

9. Reshma Saujani, CEO & Founder of Girls Who Code

In 2012, Saujani founded Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that equips young women with the skills to pursue opportunities for a technical and computing education, and close the gender gap in technology. The platform offers classes in robotics, web design, and mobile development, as well as mentorship for young women.

Reshma began her career as an attorney. When she ran for U.S. Congress in 2010, she visited many schools and realized the gender gap between men and women in technology. This motivated her to start Girls Who Code. Under her leadership, Girls Who Code reached over 185,000 students and was awarded the Most Innovative Non-Profit by Fast Company.

We love how determined Saujani is to close the gender gap; and, despite starting in a different career, she pursued her passion and created opportunities for an underserved community.

9. Yunha Kim, CEO & Founder of Simple Habit https://www.simplehabit.com/

Kim studied Economics at Duke University and moved to New York City to pursue a career as an investment banking analyst. She quit her job to begin working on Locket, a mobile lock screen app, and raised more than $3 million in investment.

After Locket was acquired by Wish in 2015, Kim began business school at Stanford, and dropped out to start another app, Simple Habit. Simple Habit taps into the growing trend for mindfulness by offering 5-minute meditation to users. A firm believer that mindfulness is the path to personal happiness, Kim wants to make mental health to everyone.

Kim is passionate about what she does and isn't afraid to pursue her dream to the fullest. We need more women leaders like her, and know that she will achieve greater success in the future.

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By Julian Bridges | Strong Female Leaders

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I believe I bring my best self to work because I’m just myself...I can tell you my employees at Land O’Lakes, our members, are just excited. They’re proud. They’re excited because what I say is ‘Just bring your best self to work. Be a good teammate. Do your best work.’ That is what is most important.

-- Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford

List of Women CEOs (2020): 10 of the Most Well-Known and Successful Women CEOs

More and more female business leaders are rising to the rank of CEO at companies throughout the world. This empowers young women, and offers them hope that advancement opportunities for women are advancing. Today, let's take a look at the movers and shakers in the business world. This list of women CEOs are taking risks, breaking boundaries, and building possibilities.

1. Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman is the co-founder and CEO of Quibi, a mobile video streaming platform headquartered in Los Angeles, California, scheduled to debut in April, 2020. In this role, Whitman oversees the production of the platform, and the company's launch to public. Prior to its launch, Quibi has already gained over $100 million in ad sales.

Before leading Quibi, Whitman served as the President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and as a senior member of Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. She then ran for governor of California as a Republican and lost, but then supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Whitman is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.

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2. Lynn Good

Duke Energy, a Fortune 500 Company, brings power to homes and businesses and serves an umbrella group for several smaller companies. Duke's Chief Executive Officer, Lynn Good, oversees its operational efforts; and her leadership contributed to more than $3 billion of revenue alone in 2017. Good also serves as Duke's president and chairperson. This Ohio native is a graduate from Miami University, and she also serves as board member for Boeing. Good is a graduate of Miami University where she earned a BS in Systems Analysis and in Accounting.

3. Deanna Mulligan

Deana Mulligan is the President and CEO of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. In this role, Mulligan oversees one of the biggest insurance companies in America. In 2018, The Guardian made almost $9 billion in revenue.

Mulligan is a Nebraska native and attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. She also attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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4. Ginni Rommety

Ginni Rometty is the current chair, president, and CEO of IBM. She is the first woman to lead the technology giant. She joined IBM as a systems engineer in 1981 and soon began to lead global sales, marketing, and strategy group. She then became the general manager of IBM's global services division, and contributed to the purchase and integration of Pricewater hous eCoopers IT consulting business.

Since becoming CEO of IBM in 2011, Rommety changed IBM's focus on analytics, cloud computing, and cognitive computing systems. Under her leadership and with her vision, IBM experienced steady growth. In 2017 alone, the company had a revenue of nearly $80 billion.

Rommety is a Chicago native and attended Northwestern University. She later received honorary doctoral degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2014 and Northwestern University in 2015.

5. Corie Barry

Corie Barry is the CEO of electronics and appliances giant, Best Buy. She is the company's fifth CEO and its first female CEO. As Best Buy's Chief Executive Officer, Barry's responsibilities include overseeing the operations of stores across the globe and the well being of over 125,000 employees.

A 20-year veteran of the company, Barry worked her way up through the finance department, and assumed the role of CFO before being promoted to the CEO position in June of 2019. Barry's most notable experience was overseeing the strategic transformation and growth during Best Buy's down turn; and it prepared her for the CEO position.

At 44, the Minnesota native is one of the youngest Fortune 500 CEOs. According to Barry, her small town roots keeps her grounded in the big world of Corporate America.

6. Phebe Novakovic

Novakovic serves as CEO and Chairwoman of General Dynamic. In the role since 2013, Novakovic has worked diligently to educate lawmakers about the need for increased military spending. Her background working for the United States Department of Defense and at the Central Intelligence Agency helps warrant those claims.

Novakovic graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1979. She then received an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business in 1988.

7. Vicki Hollub

Vicki Hollub is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Occidental Petroleum. She is the first woman to lead a major American oil company. Under her leadership, the company netted a revenue of close to $19 billion between 2018 and 2019.

During her 35-year career with Occidental, Hollub has held various management and technical positions, including serving as the Senior Vice President of Occidental Petroleum, Executive Vice President of Occidental, and President of Oxy Oil and Gas, Americas.

Hollub attended the University of Alabama. Because of her international experience and understanding of U.S. oil demands, Hollub's qualifications made her a natural appointee to the U.S. Department of Energy. She now serves on the boards of the American Petroleum Institute, Khalifa University for Science and Technology, and Lockheed Martin. She is also engaged in the political arena, serving as the chair of the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board.

Hollub holds a Bachelor of Science in Mineral Engineering. In 2016, she was inducted into the University of Alabama College of ​Engineering of Distinguished Engineering Fellows.​

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8. Michelle Gass

Michelle Gass is the CEO and Director of Kohl's. Prior to this role, Gass worked for Starbucks and Proctor & Gamble, and then in Kohl's merchandising and customer relations departments.

As Kohl's CEO, Gass oversees various initiatives including strengthening Kohl’s customer base with loyalty program and speeding Kohl's marketing.

Gass also serves on the board of PepsiCo.

Gass is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She also has an MBA from the University of Washington.

9. Beth Ford

Beth Ford is the CEO of Land O' Lakes. She is also the first openly gay female CEO.

Since a young age, Ford had worked in the agriculture business, where she learned the value of hard word. After graduating college, she excelled at various management and R&D roles, including being the executive operations management and supply chain roles at International Flavors and Fragrances, PepsiCo and Pepsi Bottling Company and Scholastic. Eventually, her passion for the food and beverages industry lead her to Land O'Lakes in 2011. And in August 2018, she was appointed the company's President and CEO.

Ford earned a BBA from Iowa State University and an MBA from Columbia University Business School. While she continues to be involved in both schools as their advisory and board members, Ford also sits on the Board of Directors for the National Milk Producers Federation and non-profit boards, as well as two publicly traded companies.

10. Christine Leahy

As the Chief Executive Officer of CDW Corporation, a provider of technology products and services for business, government and education, Christine Leahy oversees the company's operations and sales. Under Leahy's leadership, CDW brought in $16.2 billion in sales in 2018, an impressive 9% year over year increment and an even more impressive 40% jump in CDW's shares since January, 2018.

Outside of work, Leahy is heavily involved in giving her time to charities, including the Children’s Home and Aid, the Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Network. Leahy is also a founder and sponsor of CDW’s Women’s Opportunity Network that supports the advancement of women leaders at CDW.

Leahy earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, the CEO Perspective Program at Kellogg School of Management in Northwestern University, and the Women’s Director Development Program at Kellogg.

Parting Words

While there are other amazing female leaders of companies out there, the aforementioned list of women CEOs is a group of ten ladies with unique talents and unparalleled success. They have set an example to which many should aspire. Each of them has combined education, formidable track records and hard work into rewarding careers. Because of their efforts they now lead some of the most successful companies out there.

Upon reading through our list of ten of the most well-known and successful women CEOs, we hope you are even more inspired to dream big and break barriers. May the success of these ladies further motivate you, and may it inspire you to accomplish even more with your work. [ End of Article ]

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