Strong Female Leaders

By Christopher O | Strong Female Leaders
Reading Time: Approx. 5 minutes
Target Audience: Entrepreneurs, Professionals, Professional Women, Solo-Preneurs, Women on Leadership Paths, Business Women, Women Business Owners

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.