20 Customer-Focused Companies Led By Women (2024)

When it comes to customer-centricity, some of the best companies are led by women.

Research has found that companies with women leaders are more profitable, socially responsible and provide better customer experiences. Companies with women in top management teams are more open to change and more likely to innovate and challenge the status quo.

It should come as no surprise then that the number of women running successful companies is increasing. In 2021, a record number of women ran Fortune 500 companies, including an increasingly diverse field of women.

There’s no doubt that women leaders are powerful proponents of customer-centricity and innovation.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, here are 20 customer-centric companies led by women:

1 . CVS (Karen Lynch, President and CEO)

Karen Lynch took over as CEO of CVS, the largest health provider in the world, in February 2021. She is the highest-ranking female CEO in the Fortune 500 and oversaw CVS’s massive vaccination effort. Lynch is moving CVS from a typical drugstore into a healthcare hub with fresh store layouts, healthcare partnerships and innovative technology to drive personalization.

2 . Spanx (Sara Blakely, Founder and CEO)

Sara Blakely founded Spanx more than 20 years ago and grew it into a fashion empire focused on empowering and lifting women. The company encourages customer feedback and offers clear, consistent communication. In 2021, Blakeley sold the majority stake in her company for $1.2 billion. In celebration and to thank her team, she gave every employee $10,000 and two plane tickets to take a trip anywhere in the world.

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3 . Advanced Micro Devices (Lisa Su, Chair and CEO)

Advanced Micro Devices was near bankruptcy when Lisa Su became CEO in 2014. She focused on the company’s strengths and innovative technology and turned AMD around to reach a market cap of more than $100 billion in 2021. AMD has a robust User Experience Program that allows customers to provide regular, direct feedback to improve its products and services.

4 . Citigroup (Jane Fraser, CEO)

When she became CEO of Citigroup in 2021, Jane Fraser became the first woman to run a major Wall Street Bank. She has transformed the company by focusing on employee experience and wellbeing—new initiatives, including Zoom-free Fridays and hybrid work schedules, were previously unheard of on Wall Street and have improved employee morale and customer service.

5 . UPS (Carol Tomé, CEO)

Carol Tomé came out of retirement to run UPS in June 2020 at the height of the pandemic and immediately prioritized a plan for holiday logistics and delivery of the COVID vaccine. Tomé’s efforts to cut costs and increase efficiency showed in UPS stock doubling in just her first few months. UPS focuses on end-to-end customer experience with seamless tracking and reliable delivery.

6 . The Honey Pot Company (Beatrice Dixon, Co-Founder and CEO)

Beatrice Dixon founded The Honey Pot company to offer plant-based, natural feminine products. With improving women’s lives at the center of everything the company does, The Honey Pot Company has grown into a multi-million-dollar business with more than 30 plant-based feminine care products. The company celebrates all types of women and makes it easy to find the environmentally responsible products they need.

7 . Gensler (Diane Hoskins, Co-CEO)

Gensler is the world’s largest architecture firm and has designed buildings and corporate campuses around the world. Its unique organizational structure encourages collaboration between the employees instead of a top-down leadership approach for better creativity and idea circulation. That unique structure, led by co-CEOs Diane Hoskins and Andy Cohen, helps Gensler innovate to best serve its global clients.

8 . TIAA (Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO)

Thasunda Brown Duckett is one of just a few Black female CEOs to lead a Fortune 500 company. Throughout her career, she has worked to diversify the pipeline of talent entering the financial services field to provide customers with employees who look like them. That mission is supported in TIAA’s strong personalization efforts, including real-time data for employees to proactively reach out to customers with customized offers and a robust digital footprint to empower customers as they track their investments.

9 . Oracle (Safra Catz, CEO)

Over the last few years, Safra Cruz has intentionally transitioned Oracle from a product-centric company to a customer-centric one. It delivers personalized service and partnerships to help its clients reach their goals. Since becoming CEO of the tech giant, Catz has led an aggressive acquisition strategy of more than 130 companies, which has helped Oracle offer more solutions to its customers.

10 . Rent the Runway (Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder and CEO)

The pandemic was devastating to Rent the Runway, which sends designer clothes to customers for a monthly fee. With no events or in-person work, customers didn’t need nice clothing items. But Jennifer Hyman embraced the COVID disruption and used it as a way to connect with customers, listen to their input and update the company’s subscription model. Rent the Runway is now back to pre-pandemic levels, almost entirely from word of mouth.

11 . Anthem (Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO)

In the first two years of Gail Boudreaux’s time as CEO of one of the largest health insurers in the U.S., the company’s stock increased 20%. During the pandemic, Anthem doubled down on digital services by using predictive analytics and AR to serve customers safely and seamlessly. Anthem’s digital assistant provides personalized care and helps customers develop healthy lifestyles.

12 . DIREXYON Technologies (Didem Cataloglu, CEO)

Before becoming CEO in October 2021, Didem Catalogulu was DIREXYON Technology’s Chief Revenue Officer. In that role, she established a customer-centric approach that led to double-digit revenue gains. As one of just a few female leaders in the energy and infrastructure industry, Cataloglu is empowering the company’s sales and marketing teams with technology to serve customers as the company expands around the world.

13 . Dick’s Sporting Goods (Lauren Hobart, President and CEO)

Dick’s Sporting Goods made a fast and effective pivot to digital services and curbside pickup during the pandemic and has seen incredible growth and innovation with increased demand for outdoor, fitness, and sporting gear. The company’s CX efforts are centered on scaling customer data for real-time personalization. Lauren Hobart was named CEO in February 2021 and played a major role in the company’s growth as CEO and in her other roles.

14 . Clorox (Linda Rendle, CEO)

Linda Rendle became CEO of Clorox in September 2020, right when her company was at the heart of COVID response. She immediately faced the challenge of supplying the market with enough of its leading Clorox wipes by lining up 10 additional suppliers. With increased visibility during the pandemic, Clorox expanded its CX efforts with chatbots to answer common questions and a robust library of self-service information. Putting customers first helps Clorox expand beyond just a product company as Rendle leads the charge to develop Clorox’s larger portfolio.

15 . Good American (Emma Grede, Co-Founder and CEO)

Co-created by Emma Grede and Khloe Kardashian, Good American focuses on size inclusivity and body positivity. The brand started by creating quality, women-friendly denim and sold a record-breaking $1 million on its first day. Since then, Good American has expanded into other items. Good American created new sizes to accommodate more body types and uses multiple models to showcase its clothing on all types of bodies. Good American is also an active supporter of charities that support underprivileged girls and women.

16 . Modere (Asma Ishaq, CEO)

The clean lifestyle DTC brand Modere is the fastest-growing women-owned business, led by CEO Asma Ishaq. Since 2016, its revenue has increased a staggering 1700%, mainly because of its focus on listening to customers and providing a seamless omnichannel experience. Modere recently opened a physical experience center to showcase its products and get real-time customer feedback.

17 . Gap Inc. (Sonia Syngal, CEO)

Sonia Syngal stepped into the Gap Inc. CEO role in March 2020, just as the pandemic altered the world of retail. She immediately got to work creating programs to repurpose fabric to make face masks, which ended up contributing to 4% of Gap’s second quarter sales. Gap also recently revamped its CX strategy to offer a new loyalty program and more substantial omnichannel options, including the ability to shop directly through social channels. Gap has many women on its board and executive team to represent the customers it serves.

18 . General Motors (Mary Barra, Chair and CEO)

General Motors overcame the brink of bankruptcy to become a leader in the automobile industry. Mary Barra shattered the glass ceiling when she was named CEO of GM in 2014, making her the first female CEO of a big-three automobile company. Barra transformed the company’s culture to become customer-centric and drive customer loyalty. GM is making strides in electric vehicles with a goal to sell exclusively zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

19 . In-N-Out Burger (Lynsi Snyder, President and Owner)

Lynsi Snyder is regularly named one of the best CEOs in the world and has an outstanding 99% approval rating. Family-owned In-N-Out Burger treats its employees like family and is dedicated to providing fresh, high-quality ingredients. That focus on service and quality creates happy employees and extremely loyal customers. Snyder started working for In-N-Out as a line cook when she was a teenager, so she understands all areas of the business and can connect with employees and customers.

20 . Fidelity Investments (Abby Johnson, President and CEO)

Abby Johnson has led innovation in the financial services industry for years, including moving Fidelity Investments to embrace and support cryptocurrencies. The company’s employee focus, including Johnson’s 94% CEO approval rating, transfers to personal relationships with clients and innovative, digital services.

Blake Morgan is a bestselling author and customer experience futurist, in addition to being the founder ofCustomerExperienceCommunity.com.

20 Customer-Focused Companies Led By Women (2024)

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