15 Fortune 500 Companies Run by Women

Articles this past summer announced a record-breaking statistic: There were more women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies than ever. That's great news, as having more diversity in executive leadership has been linked to corporate outperformance. But the news wasn't as great as it may seem, because the record was that a mere 8% of Fortune 500 CEOs -- 41 people out of 500 -- were women.

Still, it represents progress. Here's a look at 15 sizable and significant companies that are currently helmed by women.

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Still in her first year, Roz Brewer heads the giant pharmacy chain Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA). She was previously at Starbucks, where she held the position of chief operating officer, among other roles. Walgreens recently boasted a market value near $44 billion; close to 9,000 locations across the U.S. and beyond; and some 315,000 employees, about 113,000 of whom were part-timers working fewer than 30 hours per week.

Also in her first year as CEO is Jane Fraser, who leads the global banking juggernaut Citigroup (NYSE: C). Recently sporting a market capitalization near $120 billion, the company rakes in more than $70 billion annually and serves some 200 million customer accounts. Fraser came to Citigroup from the McKinsey consultancy, where she had been a partner, and she's the first woman to head a major Wall Street bank.

Dr. Lisa T. Su has been at the helm of chipmaking titan Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) since October 2014. During that period, the company's stock has gained more than 4,000%, averaging nearly 69% annually, versus a 15% average for the S&P 500. AMD's market value recently topped $176 billion, and it has been taking market share away from Intel, among others.

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Thasunda Brown Duckett leads TIAA -- the nonprofit financial giant (2020 revenue topped $40 billion) founded by Andrew Carnegie back in 1918 as the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association. (You may have known it as TIAA-CREF, incorporating the College Retirement Equities Fund acronym.) In its own words, "TIAA is a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions to millions of people and thousands of institutions. It is the #1 not-for-profit retirement market provider, paid more than $3.6 billion to retired clients in 2020, and has $1.3 trillion in assets under management (as of 9/30/2021)."

Linda Rendle has spent roughly two decades at Clorox (NYSE: CLX) and has been its chief executive for a little over a year. Clorox recently sported a market capitalization of about $21 billion, while employing about 9,000 people worldwide and raking in more than $7 billion annually. Its brands include its flagship bleach, Pine-Sol; Liquid-Plumr; Fresh Step cat litter; Glad; Kingsford; Hidden Valley; Brita; and Burt's Bees.

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Reshma Kewalramani has been CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) since 2020, and before that she was the company's chief medical officer. Her ascent reportedly made her the first female CEO of a premier pharmaceutical company. With a recent market value of $56 billion, Vertex is most known for its cystic fibrosis treatments, though its pipeline has treatments tackling a variety of other conditions.

ALSO READ: Is Vertex Pharmaceuticals Stock a Buy Now?

Sonia Syngal has been at the helm of Gap (NYSE: GPS) since 2020, having previously led the company's Old Navy business. Recently with a market value near $6.5 billion, Gap encompasses the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands. As of early 2021, it employs about 117,000 people.

In February 2021, Karen Lynch took over the reins at pharmacy powerhouse CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), with Bloomberg.com noting that, "Lynch became the highest-ranking female executive in the U.S. … when she took over at the fifth-largest public company by sales." CVS Health recently sported a market value near $135 billion, annual sales topping $280 billion, close to 10,000 locations nationwide, and around 300,000 employees.

Mary Barra has led General Motors (NYSE: GM) for nearly eight years, but her career at the company goes all the way back to 1980, when she worked there as an 18-year-old co-op student. Recently with a market value topping $83 billion, the company boasts more than 150,000 employees (who speak a total of 75 languages). Together with its subsidiaries and joint ventures, the company produces vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun, and Wuling brands.

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Carol Tomé leads blue chip delivery juggernaut United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS). She came to the company in 2020 after roughly a quarter of a century at Home Depot, where she had risen to the post of chief financial officer. (She actually came out of a brief retirement to take the UPS job.) Founded in 1907 and with a recent market value near $187 billion, UPS recently employed more than 540,000 people worldwide, serving customers in more than 200 countries.

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Gail Boudreaux, former CEO of UnitedHealth and former college basketball star, is CEO at Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) now. Recently with a market capitalization topping $110 billion, Anthem says it's "an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, or BCBSA, an association of independent health benefit plans." Licensed by Blue Cross Blue Shield in 14 states and with subsidiaries in more than 25 states, Anthem serves more than 117 million people.

Corie Barry has worked at Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) since 1999 and is now its top executive. With a recent market value near $24 billion, Best Buy boasts more than 1,000 stores and employs some 100,000 people in the U.S. and Canada, raking in more than $50 billion annually.

ALSO READ: Is Best Buy a Smart Stock to Buy Now?

Phebe Novakovic leads General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) and has done so since 2013, rising to the position from the chief operating officer role. (Prior to that, she had served in the U.S. government, as Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense.) General Dynamics, with a recent market value near $58 billion, is a major aerospace company and defense contractor, employing more than 100,000 people worldwide.

Lynn Good has been CEO of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) since 2013, rising to the top post from the chief financial officer position. Duke Energy, with a recent market capitalization near $80 billion, is a top energy holding company in the U.S., delivering electricity to roughly 8 million customers in the South and Midwest and bringing natural gas to 1.6 million customers. It's a major renewable energy provider, too, employing about 27,500 people.

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When you think of major insurer Progressive (NYSE: PGR), you probably think of its spokespersonality, Flo. You might instead think of its CEO, Tricia Griffith, who has held the company's top post since 2016 and in 2018 was named Fortune's Businessperson of the Year. Progressive is the third-largest auto insurer in America and a top 15 homeowners insurance provider. Founded in 1937, it recently sported a market value near $60 billion.

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These are just 15 of the women helming major American companies. Others include Lauren Hobart at Dick's Sporting Goods, Safra Catz at Oracle, Kathy Warden at Northrop Grumman, and Heyward Donigan at Rite Aid. There are certainly more than a few, but not a lot. Assuming present trends continue, we'll see more and more over the coming decades. While some might be satisfied when 50% of CEOs are women, others might dream of more. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is famous for suggesting that she would like to see all nine Supreme Court justices be women.

Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Selena Maranjian owns Starbucks and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool owns and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Best Buy, Home Depot, Intel, Starbucks, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool recommends CVS Health, Duke Energy, Progressive, and UnitedHealth Group and recommends the following options: long January 2023 $57.50 calls on Intel, short January 2022 $115 calls on Starbucks, and short January 2023 $57.50 puts on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.