Here at Fundid, we focus on helping women's businesses grow. We do that to spotlight the outstanding women companies that are succeeding and rewriting history. Here are 18 of the most successful businesses run by women.
1. Spanx, Sara Blakely
Spanx is not just a household name in the shapewear industry. Women today trust the company and are not likely to drift off to a competitor's brand. Blakely started the company 20 years ago without any business experience. She explains that her goal was to elevate women beyond the limited options her mother and grandmother relied on for years. Blakely adds that working with other women made her success all the more magical.
2. Ava, Lea Von Bidder
At 29 years of age, Lea Von Bidder is the CEO of her company that created a fertility tracking bracelet that has already assisted more than 30,000 women in the process of getting pregnant. The bracelet uses artificial intelligence and clinical research to understand their ovulation cycles better.
3. General Dynamics, Phebe Novakovic
Ms. Nokavic is the Chairman and chief executive officer of the Fortune 500 company, General Dynamics. This business is aerospace, combat systems, information systems, technology, and marine systems.
4. Regal Entertainment, Amy Miles
Ms. Miles runs this American movie theater chain from the corporate offices in Knoxville, Tennessee. Regal, which boasts 574 theaters, is the largest theater chain in the world.
5. Williams-Sonoma, Laura Alber
Since Alber's company surpassed the 2019 Fortune 500 revenue threshold, $5.575 billion, she now ranks among the Fortune 500's CEOs of the year.
6. Salt + Umber, Susie Bergquist
Susie's business makes shoes for women using little or no machinery. She does so to reduce her company's carbon footprint. Bergquist also uses recycled material and does not include chemicals in the making of her products. Ultimately, she and her team want to create a collective community of artists and women entrepreneurs worldwide.
7. Quibi, Meg Whitman
Ms. Whitman is currently the CEO of Quibi, the short-form video platform created by Jeffrey Katzenberg in April 2020. Whitman also served as:
● CEO, Hewlett-Packard (2011 – 2015)
● She sits on the board of Procter & Gamble and Dropbox (2018)
● Whitman invested in the e-sports company Immortals LLC and served on the board.
8. General Motors, Mary T. Barra
Mary Barra served as CEO of GM since the beginning of 2014. Her focus and goals include:
● Cutting crashes to zero
● Providing autonomous driving
9. Hershey Company, Michele Buck
Hershey's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and 12th President, Michele Buck. Before becoming head of Hershey, Buck served 17 years at Kraft/Nabisco in senior positions and the Frito-Lay division of Pepsi. She is a mother and a business leader and is motivated by "harnessing others' strengths, expertise, and perspectives."
10. Gap Inc., Sonia Syngal
As Chief Executive Officer of Gap Inc., Syngal leads a $16 million business across all channels and geographies and works with a team of almost 1340,000 employees. Ms. Syngal led Gap's subsidiary, Old Navy, from $7B to $8B in sales in only three years. Since joining Gap Inc. in 2004, she has served in essential leadership and general management roles, including Managing Director for the company's Europe business, Senior Vice President for Gap Inc.'s International Division, and International Outlet division.
11. Progressive Insurance, Tricia Griffith
It was 2016 when Ms. Griffith was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors elected her in the same year. Tricia joined Progressive as a Claims Representative in 1988 and continued to serve in many leadership positions during her time at the Progressive Corporation.
12. The Clorox Company, Linda Rendle
In September 2020, Linda Rendle, a 17-year veteran of the company, was promoted to chief executive officer and elected to the Clorox Company's board of directors. The Clorox Company is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with fiscal years sales of $6.7B.
13. Kohl's Corporation, Michelle Gass
Michelle Gass joined Kohl's in 2013 and rose in the ranks pretty swiftly. In 2018, Gass took the role of CEO. Some of her innovations for the company include:
● The long-term strategic framework called the Greatness Agenda
● New categories, brands, and partners, such as Under Armour and Amazon
14. UPS, Carol B. Tomé
Carol is the 12th CEO of UPS over a 113-year history of the company. After executive duty at The Home Depot, she joined UPS as Vice President and Treasurer. Carol also serves as a trustee or board member of organizations, including:
● Atlanta Botanical Garden
● The Buckhead Coalition, and more
15. Best Buy, Corie Barry
The CEO of this leading provider of consumer tech products and services, with about 125,000 employees, runs a business that takes almost $44B in annual revenue. Corie is also the company's board of directors. After joining Best Buy in 1999, Corie took on the role of CFO in 2016. Barry has also served as:
● Chief financial and strategic transformation officer
● The interim President of Best Buy's services organization
16. Coty Inc., Sue Y. Nabi
Nabi championed the diversity of beauty and beauty marketing when she worked for L'Oréal and became the youngest President in its history. Nabi also founded and was CEO of the skincare line, Orveda. Additionally, she served as Worldwide President of Lancôme. Peter Harf, Executive Chairman, had this to say about Nabi: "Sue is renowned as a visionary and ongoing game-changer whose outstanding creativity is celebrated in the beauty industry. I am proud that she now wants to bring her unique sense of inspiration to Coty."
17. Accenture, Julie Sweet
Accenture's Chief Executive Officer is Julie Sweet. She has also served at Accenture as general counsel, secretary, and chief compliance officer for five years. Sweet stands for:
● Innovation
● Diversity
In 2020, Sweet was named No. 1 on Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business."
18. Citigroup, Jane Fraser
In 2021, Fraser will be CEO of Citigroup, Inc. Jane will be the first woman to head a central US bank. Currently, Ms. Fraser is President of Citibank and the Chief Executive Officer of Global Consumer Banking.
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