Fortune has announced the 2023 edition of the Most Powerful Women in Business list, featuring established and rising leaders from around the world. Now in its 26th year, the Most Powerful Women celebrates 100 women leaders in business representing industries including finance, technology, health, telecommunications, retail, and energy, among others.
The list this year of the Most Powerful Women in Business is the most comprehensive ever recorded: it is the first time Fortune has a single global list honoring 100 women. The new global scope and larger scale of the list recognize the nature of the work of top executives — which spans the globe — as well as the near-record number of women leading companies in the Fortune 500, the largest U.S. companies by revenue, and in the Fortune Global 500, the largest companies in the world.
In total, the list features 67 women with the title of CEO, some of whom have recently taken on the top role. Margherita Della Valle became CEO of British telecommunications operator Vodafone in April. Sandy Ran Xu took the helm of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com in May. Vanessa Hudson assumed the role of CEO of Australia’s flag carrier airline Qantas in September. All are the first women to hold their respective positions.
Other women are making a significant impact early in their careers, such as 34-year-old Mira Murati, the Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, and Susan Li, CFO of Meta. Some other executives are leading the world’s most valuable startups, including Kim Kardashian, co-founder of the $4 billion shapewear line.
As CEOs leave their positions, women are being called to replace them in greater numbers. Fortune notes that in the first half of this year, 106 CEOs worldwide left their posts. Of the CEO replacements, 13% were women, up from 2.4% in 2018. Fortune writes: “The business world is demanding change, and women leaders are rising to the moment.”
The top 10 of the Fortune 100 Most Powerful Women in Business 2023:
• 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.)
Source: Fortune