Despite there being a lot of companies with women as CEOs, they are heavily underrepresented in roles of leadership. Today, we’ll be talking through some public companies with women CEOs, as well as each of their backgrounds.
Oh, and these stocks are all available to invest through our app now, just in case any take your fancy. 😉 Just remember, as with all investing, your capital is at risk.
If you're after more stock drops, visit our pieces on renewable energy companies and companies led by women.
TL;DR
Bumble
EVgo
Clear Secure
Commercial Metals
COTY
Dick’s
FIGS Scrubs
Integral Ad Science
Kohl’s
SAIC
Taylor Morrison
Williams-Sonoma
So then, first up…
1. Bumble
📈 Ticker symbol: BMBL
👩💼 CEO: Whitney Wolfe Herd
What is Bumble then?
Bumble is a dating app that lets users scroll through profiles of potential love interests. A user can view someone’s pictures, interests and general info before deciding if they’d like to ‘match’ with this person. I guess everything really is going digital!
If two people match, the woman must to send the first message to initiate the conversation. This is part of Bumble’s mission to break the status quo that women can’t make the first move.
Those of you who familiar with our game changer series may already be familiar with their CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd.
As a previous Vice President of Marketing at Tinder, Wolfe Herd was responsible for driving the app’s popularity. After a dispute with the board of directors though, things took an eventful turn. They parted ways, went through a lawsuit and Wolfe Herd founded Bumble. Yep, all this before she turned 26.
Interestingly though, Wolfe Herd said a lot of her success has derived from failure:
When you accept that failure is a good thing, it can actually be a huge propeller toward success.
So, do you fancy matching up with Bumble and Wolfe Herd in a financial relationship?
2. EVgo
📈 Ticker symbol: EVGO
👩💼 CEO: Catherine Zoi
You might be aware of Tesla superchargers, but how do the other electric cars charge?
EVgo is a solution for the NissanLEAF, BMW i3, Jaguar iPace, Audi e-Tron, Porsche Taycan and others.
Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular thanks to environmental concerns and the cost of fuel, but not everyone can afford the self-driving, all dancing (literally) Tesla though, and electric alternatives all need a place where they can recharge.
They’re based in the United States and are powered by 100% renewable energy. They have an impressive 850 EV fast charging stations throughout 30 states.
Catherine Zoi has been leading the company’s growth as CEO since 2017. Her extensive experience in clean energy, investing and policies has given her a strong skill set to lead the company.
She was President and co-founder of Odyssey Energy, founding CEO of Frontier Power and energy investor at Silver Lake and Bayard Capital. As if that wasn’t enough, she also served in the Obama Administration as Assistant Secretary and Acting Under Secretary at the Department of Energy, where she oversaw more than $30 billion in energy investments. In the early 1990s, Zoi was Chief of Staff for Environmental Policy in the Clinton White House and pioneered the Energy Star program.
When we said extensive experience, we meant extensive experience.
3. Clear Secure
📈 Ticker symbol: YOU
👩💼 CEO: Caryn Seidman-Becker
Clear Secure is a tech company that uses biometrics (fingerprint, face recognition and all that good stuff) to help travel through an airport faster and safer. They also operate within stadiums to help reduce queues and make orders.
Does it sound as exciting as meeting your future partner on a dating app? Maybe not, but stock pickers will know not to overlook any company that quickens other businesses’ operations.
Talking of stock picking, Caryn Seidman-Becker knows a thing or two in this arena. She’s a former hedge fund manager and former Managing Director at Iridian Asset Management.
But she doesn’t need her previous roles to show that she’s a powerhouse businesswoman — she joined Clear Secure as CEO in 2010, the same year the company was founded. In just 10 years, the company generated $230 million in revenue from 38 airports and 26 venues globally. They went public in June 2021 with a $4 billion valuation.
So, is Clear Secure a clear winner for you?
4. Commercial Metals
📈 Ticker symbol: CMC
👩💼 CEO: Barbara R. Smith
Belonging to the prestigious Fortune 500 group, Commercial Metals might just be the largest company you’ve never heard of. Ever wondered where the framework for buildings comes from? Okay, me neither.
But, as long as there are more buildings being built (and trust me, living in a city centre, there are) companies such as this will always be in demand. And being in demand is often profitable.
Before Smith joined Commercial Metals, she held executive positions at FARO Technologies, Inc., Gerdau AmeriSteel Corp., Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. and Alcoa, Inc. She describes her leadership style as direct, tough, someone who sets high expectations, and holds people accountable.
If what you’re after is a no nonsense leader, at a utilitarian company, then head over to our app and take a look at CMC. Just keep in mind, with all investing, your capital is at risk.
5. Coty
📈 Ticker symbol: COTY
👩💼 CEO: Sue Nabi
Coty makes fragrances and other beauty products for leading brands. If you’ve not heard of them before, I’ll bet you £10 you’ve heard some of the brands they work with. Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Hugo Boss and Tiffany & Co are just some examples.
They have two divisions:
Coty Luxury is all about celebrating luxury fragrances, high-end skincare and colour cosmetics products.
Coty Consumer makes colour cosmetics and body care. Max Factor, Rimmel, and Adidas are all partners.
Nabi herself enjoyed a long and successful career at L’Oréal where she was a Worldwide President overseeing L’Oréal Paris and Lancôme. As if that wasn’t enough, she has also founded and ran luxury skincare line Orveda, where she’s had great success as a beauty entrepreneur and innovator.
A beautiful company, no doubt. But, is it a beautiful stock? Let us know your thoughts.
6. Dick’s
📈 Ticker symbol: DKS
👩💼 CEO: Lauren Hobart
Whilst UK readers may not have heard of Dick’s Sporting Goods, it’ll come as no surprise to U.S. readers that this is also a Fortune 500 company.
Dick’s Sporting Goods sells sports equipment, apparel, footwear, and accessories through a blend of associates, in-store services, and unique speciality shop-in-shops.
As the U.S’s largest sporting goods retailer, it’s refreshing to see a woman lead the business in what is arguably the most patriarchal industry there is — sport.
In her previous role, Hobart was part of the executive team at Dick’s. One of her key decisions was to stop selling assault rifles after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
When Hobart joined Dicks in February 2021, her vision was to invest in new brick-and-mortar formats, which goes against the online and digital experiences many retailers are looking to enhance. She wants to make the physical shopping experience better, and one way to do this involves adding climbing walls to shops.
Will the decision to focus on in-store experiences pay off? Who knows!
7. FIGS Scrubs
📈 Ticker symbol: FIGS
👩💼 CEO: Trina Spear & Heather Hasson (Co-CEOs)
FIGS Scrubs is an apparel and lifestyle brand that sells healthcare clothing to consumers. The apparel is designed for doctors, nurses and other professionals to perform at their best whilst being comfortable.
The idea was born when Co-CEO Heather Hasson went for a coffee with her friend and nurse practitioner. She couldn’t believe that her friend spent 16-hour shifts serving others while wearing boxy, scratchy, and uncomfortable scrubs. What’s worse? There were no other apparel options available.
While it seems Trina Spear may not have had the initial brainwave, her knowledge for business certainly contributed to the growth of FIGS. She started her career as an Investment Banker at Citi, before working at The Blackstone Group and The Aspen Institute. Having co-founded FIGS Almost 10 years later, she remains the Co-CEO and took the company public in May 2021 at $22 price a share.
That gave FIGS a frightening valuation figure of $4.4 billion.
8. Integral Ad Science
📈 Ticker symbol: IAS
👩💼 CEO: Lisa Utzschneider
Integral Ad Science is a technology company that analyses the value of digital ads. The U.S. based company also solves issues around fraud and brand risk.
The system rates brands from 250 to 1,000 based on safety, ad fraud, content, time viewed, and total shares to help buyers predict what they're buying before spending. With increasing 'bots' pretending to be real ad viewers, the need for advertising integrity doesn't seem to be disappearing.
A strong company needs a strong leader, and few have a stronger background than Utzschneider.
General Manager of Microsoft? Check. ✅
Global VP of Amazon? Yep. ✅
Chief Revenue Officer at Yahoo? You bet. ✅
If what you’re after is a CEO who has been there and done it, Utzschneider hasn’t only been there and got the t-shirt, she’s got a whole bloomin’ wardrobe.
9. Kohl’s
📈 Ticker symbol: KSS
👩💼 CEO: Michelle Gass
Kohl’s is a U.S. department store and although competition is fierce, it’s certainly one of the top dogs. It’s a proud member of the S&P 400 and Fortune 500.
A fun fact about Kohl’s is it uses a “racetrack” layout with a single aisle that circles the entire store. Discount stores often adopt this approach to help. The reason for this? Not confirmed. My guess is they want you to see as much as possible, so you’re more likely to spend more. Okay, I’ll take my sceptic hat off now.
We’re continuing with the theme of CEOs who have been there and done it. Gass has sat on Pepsi’s Board of Directors and was a President at Starbucks before becoming Kohl’s CEO.
Many deem her as a risk-taker, but we see her more as an opportunist. She bet big on a revolutionary partnership with Amazon when others tried to compete with it. Customers are able to return an Amazon item within a Kohl’s store, which frequently resulted in an in-store sale. Kohl’s added 2 million new customers last year thanks to this simple, yet ingenious move.
Con-gass-ulations Michelle, that was quite a move.
10. SAIC
📈 Ticker symbol: SAIC
👩💼 CEO: Nazzic Keene
SAIC’s purpose is to ‘advance the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world.’ Wow, quite a purpose. They work in the defence, space and civilian markets and offer high-end services in engineering and IT to governments, the U.S. Air force, Navy, Marine and Army.
They are experts in data, helping their clients make more informed decisions. They also use emerging technologies to train individuals. Examples include using VR and AR to help train their clients. Naturally, it’s quite difficult to find out how exactly they work with their clients, it’s almost like they don’t want people to know what goes on with national defence training. 🤔
Leading the company of 26,000 employees is Nazzic Keene. She has over 30 years experience working in information and technology and more than 20 years in executive management. She knows a thing or two about stocks too; her estimated $22 million as of January 2022. Keene owns SAIC stock worth over $7.5 million and has made 15 hefty stock trades to help build her wealth.
Keen to invest in Keene? You know where to go.
11. Taylor Morrison
📈 Ticker symbol: TMHC
👩💼 CEO: Sheryl Palmer
Taylor Morrison is a home building and development company in the US. You know those swanky concept homes you see online? Well Taylor Morrison is a company that brings those to life.
They’re passionate about encouraging women to choose construction as a career path, too. They announced a 45% increase in women working in construction on International Women’s Day in 2022,. Perhaps some of this is due to Palmer being the company’s CEO, who for a long-time, was the only female CEO of a home building company.
Palmer has 30 years experience, including leadership in land acquisition, sales, marketing, development and operations, Palmer has led Taylor Morrison into the top ranks of the U.S’ largest public homebuilders.
Palmer’s passions extend beyond home building and business. She has three children and four grandchildren and is dedicated to supporting veterans, helping the homelessness, as well as general health and wellness.
12. Williams-Sonoma
📈 Ticker symbol: WSM
👩💼 CEO: Laura J. Alber
Wiliams-Sonoma is a consumer electronics chain that sells kitchenware and home furnishings in the United States, and the company was named as a Fortune 500 company for the first time in history.
Before becoming the CEO, Alber said working as Director of the sub-brand, Pottery Barn, was the most important role she’d had. It gave her the opportunity to “own” business projects from creation to completion.
She became CEO in 2010 and by September 2011, she was ranked the 10th highest paid woman in U.S. business by Fortune magazine. In 2014 and 2015, Fortune magazine also named her a ‘Business Person of the Year’.
Alber led technological advancements within the company by launching an app and partnering with YouTube to make shoppable online videos. It wasn’t all tech advancements though, after being pregnant with her first daughter, Alber said she was inspired to create Pottery Barn Kids.
So there you have it, that’s 12 new stocks on the Shares app with women CEOs. Will you be investing?
Download the Shares app and let us know!
Make sure to follow us on our socials 👇
As with all investing, your capital is at risk.
Shares is a trading name of Shares App Ltd. Shares App Ltd is an appointed representative of RiskSave Technologies Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
