10 Women Entrepreneurs We Admire
Celebrating Women's History Month, we tribute talented and inspiring women in entrepreneurship.
This piece will feature businesswomen from Fortune 500 companies, social media influencers who turned entrepreneurs, and girls who started their own business from scratch with no name or massive followership.
Kayla Itsines
In 2013, Kayla started her career on Instagram by publishing fitness workout videos that allowed her to get massive followership. Later, the Instagram fitness page turned to a $17-million worth fitness app Sweat with Kayla.
Beyond that, Kayla has a bikini body training company with more than 20 million members.
Huda Kattan
Huda Kattan, an erstwhile finance worker, became a social media beauty influencer after quitting her job in finance. She started her cosmetics brand Huda Beauty with her two sisters in 2013 when she couldn't find fake lashes online.
Now Huda Beauty is joined with Sephora to sell their exclusive products. The self-made millionaire's brand makes $250 million a year.
Freddie Harrel
Freddie Harrel started her path as a blogger back in 2013, then became a beauty entrepreneur. Harrel raised $2 million through female investors to open her startup venture RadSwan, as per Grazie Daily. The brand sells wigs and weaves made from sustainable synthetic.
Chiara Ferragni
Chiara's career began in 2009 with a YouTube channel called the Blonde Salad, dedicated to fashion and beauty. A couple of years later, she became a prominent street-style star. Then, she launched her Chiara Ferragni Collection, which has garnered $25 million since its launch and a global presence with multiple pop-up stores in boutiques and department stores.
Evgenia Zhilyova
A Ukrainian designer who launched her lingerie brand Zhilyova Lingerie in Ukraine several years ago is now featured in world-renowned fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, L'Officiel, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, and more.
Geisha Williams
Promoted to CEO in 2017, Geisha Williams is the first Latina chief executive of a Fortune 500 company. She joined PG&E, the largest utility in California, in 2007 and was president of the company's electric unit before she was appointed to the CEO position. An advocate for renewable energy, she has helped move PG&E toward renewables, with roughly 70% of the company's energy now coming from greenhouse-gas-free sources, including natural gas.
Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi had worked in PepsiCo for 24 years before she retired in 2019; half of the time in the company she spent on top management roles.
As CEO, she nearly doubled sales and introduced healthier products and environmentally friendly practices. In 2019, Indra Nooyi joined the board of Amazon.
Deanna Mulligan
Deanna Mulligan served as Chief Executive Officer of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, a Fortune 250 mutual life insurance company (Guardian). She currently serves as a Director of The Vanguard Group, Inc., Trustee of the Vanguard Funds, Trustee of the Economic Club of New York, Trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Director of Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, Director of Partnership for New York City, and Trustee of the Bruce Museum.
Mary Barra
General Motors's CEO since 2014, Mary Barra is the first woman to lead one of the big three automakers in the U.S. She has invested billions in electric vehicles, self-driving cars, and a ride-share service called Maven.
Dr Hayat Sindi
Hayat Sindi is one of the most influential Arab medical scientists in the world. Dr Sindi is the co-founder of Diagnostics For All', a non-profit organisation that offers affordable and simple diagnostics for developing countries.
This list is absolutely non-exhaustive. There are undoubtedly thousands of other inspiring women entrepreneurs worth your attention. All we want to say is that it's brilliant that women now earn their rightful place in business and entrepreneurship. Hopefully, this tendency will only grow.