THE MOST POWERFUL BUSINESS WOMEN IN AMERICA

January 18th 2020 at 2:37pm Published by firstdownadmin

The number of women-owned businesses increased nearly 3,000% since 1972. Not only that but between 2017 and 2018 women started an average of 1,821 new businesses per day in the U.S. Here are other facts:

• More than 11.6 million firms are owned by women, employing nearly 9 million people, and generating $1.7 trillion in sales as of 2017.
• Women-owned firms (51% or more) account for 39% of all privately held firms and contribute 8% of employment and 4.2% of revenues.
• Businesses owned by women generate $3.1 trillion in revenue. 

Here are some of the most powerful business women in the USA today to celebrate female success within the corporate world:

Marillyn Hewson. CEO, Lockheed Martin

• CEO of Lockheed Martin since 2013, Hewson has deftly steered the defense company’s position at the forefront of security, aerospace and technology.
• The F-35 fighter jet program and other development that address modern military needs have helped increase market value to nearly $100 billion.
• In 2017, the company pulled in $53 billion in sales, a majority from the U.S. government.
• Under Hewson’s watch, Lockheed’s stock has surged more than 300%.
• To remain on the forefront of innovation, Lockheed Martin is developing a supersonic aircraft that breaks the sound barrier without a sonic boom.

Mary Barra. CEO, GM

• GM‘s CEO since 2014, Barra has invested billions in electric vehicles, self-driving cars and a ride-share service called Maven.
• In November 2019, GM sued Fiat Chrysler over an alleged bribery scheme in bargaining with autoworker unions.
• Having earned $21.9 million in 2018, Barra has the highest compensation of any leader of a Detroit Big Three automaker.
• GM ranked No. 1 on the 2018 Global Report on Gender Equality. It was one of only two global businesses that have no gender pay gap.

Abigail Johnson. CEO of Fidelity Investments

• Abigail Johnson has served as CEO of Fidelity Investments since 2014, when she took over for her father, and has been chairman since 2016.
• Her grandfather, Edward Johnson II, founded the Boston-based mutual fund giant in 1946.
• She owns an estimated 24.5% stake of the firm, which has nearly $2.7 trillion in managed assets.
• Johnson has embraced cryptocurrencies and, in 2018, Fidelity launched a platform that allows institutional investors to trade bitcoin and ether.
• She worked summers at Fidelity through college and joined full-time as an analyst in 1988 after receiving a Harvard M.B.A.

Ginni Rometty. CEO, IBM

• A 36-year veteran of the iconic tech company, Rometty has led IBM‘s transition to a data company.
• Today, half of IBM’s $79.1 billion 2017 revenue comes from the emerging, high-value segments of IT vs its legacy software products.
• She has put cognitive computing at the center of its strategy for the future and made massive bets on blockchain and quantum computing.
• In October 2018, IBM purchased Red Hat for $34 billion, placing the company in a position to compete with Amazon and Microsoft in cloud computing.
• But despite this high-priced deal, IBM’s stock has fallen 20% in 2018 and posted weak third-quarter results.
• Ongoing efforts to keep women in the workforce include extended parental leave, a breastmilk delivery program and returnships.
  

Gail Boudreaux. CEO, Anthem

• Boudreaux was named CEO of Anthem in 2017. She was previously CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest division within UnitedHealth Group.
• It’s one of the nation’s largest health insurers and has completed acquisitions of America’s 1st Choice, HealthSun and Aspire Health.
• Under Boudreaux’s watch, the company is on track to launch its own Pharmacy Benefits manager in 2020.
• The Anthem Foundation Awards announced over $53 million in grants to address critical health issues facing Americans.
• With her industry experience, she has earned plaudits from peers and Wall Street alike; in the first two years of her tenure, the stock popped 20%.

Sheryl Sandberg. COO, Facebook

• As Chief Operating Officer at Facebook since 2008, she led the social media company from a $56 million loss to $22.1 billion in profits in 2018.
• Her focus on positioning Facebook as a platform for small business advertising helped increase ad revenue by 38% during 2018.
• For the past 2 years she has defended Facebook in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and ongoing data privacy risks for its 2 billion users.
• Her reputation came under fire in late 2018 with a New York Times report on her involvement in a plan to discredit George Soros and other critics.
• Despite the controversy, Zuckerberg has pledged his confidence in Sandberg’s leadership and future at Facebook.

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