Retail's 8 Most Powerful Women
Fortune's "Most Powerful Women 2016" list features 51 amazing women, including eight notable females from the retail industry. These are the women that call the shots, and are currently building billion-dollar brands, as well as much more.
The Most Powerful Women in Business list is compiled by Fortune editors, who consider four criteria: the size and importance of the woman's business in the global economy, the health and direction of the business, the arc of the woman's career and social and cultural influence.
There are 22 CEOs on this year's list who together control $1.1 trillion in market capitalization. BeyoncÉ (No. 51) is the youngest person on the list at 35, followed by Amy Hood (No. 31), CFO of Microsoft, at 44. Helena Foulkes, President of CVS/pharmacy, EVP of CVS Health, CVS Health, landed on the list at No. 12, making her the first woman in retail to make the cut.
Here are the 8 Most Powerful Women in Retail:
1.Helena Foulkes, President of CVS/pharmacy, EVP of CVS Health, CVS Health
Helena Foulkes, led CVS Health’s retail business to new revenue heights—up 6.2%, to $72 billion in 2015. Foulkes is also hoping to lift sales of general merchandise with initiatives like CVS’s new mobile payment app and upgraded beauty sections, scheduled to be in 4,000 CVS/pharmacy stores by the end of the year.
2.Angela Ahrendts, SVP, Retail and Online Stores, Apple
Angela Ahrendts is responsible for some 12% of the company’s $233.7 billion in sales. Her first big retail project was the Apple Watch, even though it had mixed reviews. Now she is introducing a new store look, which includes a new landscaped help desk called the Genius Grove, movie-theater-size video screens, and a boardroom where app developers can share advice with small businesses.
3.Rosalind Brewer, CEO and President, Sam's Club, Walmart
Rosalind Brewer is investing in food offerings (more organics), remodeling stores, and locating new ones in higher-income areas. She’s looking for an edge through e-commerce, implementing in-store pickup for online orders and launching an app that lets customers pay without going through checkout.
4.Ann-Marie Campbell, EVP, U.S. store, Home Depot
In January, Campbell was promoted from her role as head of the southern division of the home-improvement retailer to run all of Home Depot’s U.S. stores, which makes her responsible for some 90% of the company’s $88.5 billion in 2015 revenues and 350,000 employees.
5.Judith McKenna, EVP and COO, Walmart U.S., Walmart
McKenna has been key in the company’s decision to invest $2.7 billion in training programs and raises for some 1.2 million U.S. store employees. She’s also pushing tech. Now all store and department managers get mobile devices so that they can spend more time on the floor rather than in the back room.
6.Barbara Rentler, CEO, Ross Stores
Barbra Rentler opened 84 new stores in the company’s fiscal 2015 and has 90 in the pipeline this year. In the most recent quarter, the company beat expectations and upped its guidance. Ross Stores thrived in a competitive retail environment last year, with sales up 8%, to nearly $12 billion, and profits that passed the $1 billion threshold for the first time.
7.Crystal Hanlon, President, Northern Division, Home Depot
Crystal Hanlon continues as president of the northern division of Home Depot, the company’s single largest unit, with $29.5 billion in revenues, some 800 stores, and 110,000 employees. Home Depot’s stock is up 16% in the past year, outpacing the surging S&P 500.
8.Shari Ballard, Senior EVP and President, U.S. Retail, Best Buy
In May Shari Ballard was named senior executive vice president, shedding her HR role but adding the Mexico business as well as real estate to her purview. Ballard, who started as an assistant store manager, now oversees some 1,400 Best Buy stores, accounting for over 80% of the company’s overall revenues.
Click here to view the full Fortune's "Most Powerful Women 2016" list.
The Most Powerful Women in Business list is compiled by Fortune editors, who consider four criteria: the size and importance of the woman's business in the global economy, the health and direction of the business, the arc of the woman's career and social and cultural influence.
There are 22 CEOs on this year's list who together control $1.1 trillion in market capitalization. BeyoncÉ (No. 51) is the youngest person on the list at 35, followed by Amy Hood (No. 31), CFO of Microsoft, at 44. Helena Foulkes, President of CVS/pharmacy, EVP of CVS Health, CVS Health, landed on the list at No. 12, making her the first woman in retail to make the cut.
Here are the 8 Most Powerful Women in Retail:
1.Helena Foulkes, President of CVS/pharmacy, EVP of CVS Health, CVS Health
Helena Foulkes, led CVS Health’s retail business to new revenue heights—up 6.2%, to $72 billion in 2015. Foulkes is also hoping to lift sales of general merchandise with initiatives like CVS’s new mobile payment app and upgraded beauty sections, scheduled to be in 4,000 CVS/pharmacy stores by the end of the year.
2.Angela Ahrendts, SVP, Retail and Online Stores, Apple
Angela Ahrendts is responsible for some 12% of the company’s $233.7 billion in sales. Her first big retail project was the Apple Watch, even though it had mixed reviews. Now she is introducing a new store look, which includes a new landscaped help desk called the Genius Grove, movie-theater-size video screens, and a boardroom where app developers can share advice with small businesses.
3.Rosalind Brewer, CEO and President, Sam's Club, Walmart
Rosalind Brewer is investing in food offerings (more organics), remodeling stores, and locating new ones in higher-income areas. She’s looking for an edge through e-commerce, implementing in-store pickup for online orders and launching an app that lets customers pay without going through checkout.
4.Ann-Marie Campbell, EVP, U.S. store, Home Depot
In January, Campbell was promoted from her role as head of the southern division of the home-improvement retailer to run all of Home Depot’s U.S. stores, which makes her responsible for some 90% of the company’s $88.5 billion in 2015 revenues and 350,000 employees.
5.Judith McKenna, EVP and COO, Walmart U.S., Walmart
McKenna has been key in the company’s decision to invest $2.7 billion in training programs and raises for some 1.2 million U.S. store employees. She’s also pushing tech. Now all store and department managers get mobile devices so that they can spend more time on the floor rather than in the back room.
6.Barbara Rentler, CEO, Ross Stores
Barbra Rentler opened 84 new stores in the company’s fiscal 2015 and has 90 in the pipeline this year. In the most recent quarter, the company beat expectations and upped its guidance. Ross Stores thrived in a competitive retail environment last year, with sales up 8%, to nearly $12 billion, and profits that passed the $1 billion threshold for the first time.
7.Crystal Hanlon, President, Northern Division, Home Depot
Crystal Hanlon continues as president of the northern division of Home Depot, the company’s single largest unit, with $29.5 billion in revenues, some 800 stores, and 110,000 employees. Home Depot’s stock is up 16% in the past year, outpacing the surging S&P 500.
8.Shari Ballard, Senior EVP and President, U.S. Retail, Best Buy
In May Shari Ballard was named senior executive vice president, shedding her HR role but adding the Mexico business as well as real estate to her purview. Ballard, who started as an assistant store manager, now oversees some 1,400 Best Buy stores, accounting for over 80% of the company’s overall revenues.
Click here to view the full Fortune's "Most Powerful Women 2016" list.