The second CNBC Changemaker list of women transforming business and philanthropy, launched on Monday, recognizes leaders across many sectors and innovation: biotech breakthroughs, AI Progress, women’s health, and new products and services. . Each has achieved meaningful outcomes in 2024, driving key businesses to new levels of growth and tackling essential social issues.
The women in this group include 12 startup founders with a total valuation of over $11 billion, including major companies, raising more than $2 billion from investors. The nine public companies on the list are CEOs, with the organization running the organization and market capitalization of around $385 billion.
In total, the companies span 14 sectors. This includes nine women in the broader umbrella of media, entertainment and sports, six in the financial services industry, and six in the food and restaurant business. Aerospace/Defense, Construction, Real Estate, Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology are also represented. Three women on the list run the charity, with two women recognized for their government achievements.
Since November we have collected nominations and evaluated applicant impact through both quantitative and qualitative lenses with guidance from the Changemaker Advisory Committee. The candidates submitted information on the size and scope of the candidate’s impact. Next, along with a team of advisors and reporters across CNBC, we assessed the extent to which each candidate would drive change in the company and beyond. There are many skilled women. Our list is distinguished by focusing on specific impacts over the past year.
In compiling this list, CNBC identified several key trends. Like last year’s first list, these leaders pursue objectives along with profits, creating businesses whose success is consistent with social or environmental interests.
Cityblock Health CEO Toyin Ajayi co-founded a healthcare provider to improve the health of low-income communities by providing not only healthcare but mental health and helping them navigate social services.
Honest company CEO Carla Vernon pursues the company’s mission to provide parents access to lastingly designed, neatly shaped products.
Cassandra Morales Thurswell has created a plastic-free shampoo bar for affordable hair care.
Emma Grede, founding partner and chief product officer of Skims, co-founded Good American, a comprehensive brand of sizes, offering more options to markets that don’t offer services and using her platform and facilitates the change. She is the chairman of 15% Pledge, a nonprofit organization that works with retailers to devote 15% of its shelf space to black-owned businesses.
Another important trend is that women often address health care needs. Naomi Watts, founder and chief creative officer of Stripes Beauty, leads the transformation of the way women talk about and treat menopause. Midi Health, a startup with Joanna Strober, offers virtual clinics that include hormones and non-hormonal medications for women over the age of 40. These two women take advantage of the market with great potential.
Other changemakers are focused on providing consumers with more information about their bodies. Katherine Stueland is the CEO of GeneDX and offers genomics testing to assist with diagnosis, treatment and drug discovery, but MICHAL MOR and MERAV MOR, twin sisters and triathletes are personalized by measuring and tracking their metabolism. Co-founded Lumen to provide nutrition.
While most leaders focus on AI, this group of changemakers is on the cutting edge not only in AI development but also in safe and practical implementation. Lila Ibrahim, chief operating officer at Google Deepmind, is working to ensure that AI finds medical breakthroughs not only responsibly but as a force for good. Meanwhile, Aily Labs’ Bianca Anghelina is building tools to improve corporate decision-making, while Accenture’s Chief AI Officer Lan Guan has created a customized AI strategy for thousands of clients from the company. We help develop it. In 2024, Guan was the fastest growing company in Accenture’s history, booking a $3 billion AI-related business.
Last year, our goal in launching a changemaker list was to highlight leaders who ignored odds. Women account for 11% of Fortune 500 CEOs, a record high. As a result, almost all of the women on the list come from Fortune 500 industries or sectors where women are so badly underrated in their CEO roles. Some, including Taylor Morrison CEO Cheryl Palmer, are the only female CEOs in the sector. Palmer embraces this distinction and uses her position to create opportunities for other women. Taylor Morrison says the company’s women’s workforce reached 44% in March 2024, four times the construction industry.
Palmer’s employee base shows trends. Women leaders are more likely to report to women in their leadership roles and diverse workforce. And this applies to this year’s changemaker. The other 29 women on the list say that at least their workforce is women. And 30 say at least half of their in person are women.
Outside of the Fortune 500, women also face uphill climbing. Venture capital funding for women-founded companies actually fell to 2% last year, while companies with female and male co-founders dropped nearly 21%. (That means the all-men founding team withdraws more than 77% of all VC dollars last year). And, as Sheryl Sandberg warned, progress to women filling the gender gap in leadership after the Leanin/McKinsey report found a pipeline that is weak for CEO roles, has been reported that “development” has been ” There is data indicating that it is vulnerable.
Despite those odds, successful women are by definition exceptional, and their stories are inspirational, revealing grit, perseverance and creativity. We will celebrate these changemakers in Los Angeles on April 8th. Join us in a series of interviews and conversations about leadership, innovation, understanding consumers, how to lead a culture, and strategies for the future.
The April 8th summit lineup includes some of this year’s changemakers. Donna Langley, chairman of NBCuniversal Entertainment & Studios. Paris Hilton, Founder and CEO 11:11 Media. Chelsea Hirschhorn, Baby, Founder and CEO of Frida, a pregnant and fertile product company. Courtney Gibson, CEO of Tiare’s retirement solutions. Bijal Shah, CEOs of the Educational Company Guild, and Merav and Michal Mor, co-founders and inventors of Lumen.
