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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