The second annual CNBC Changemakers catalogue raisonn of women who are transforming business and philanthropy showcases biotech breakthroughs, AI advances, women’s health, and both consumer and common innovations, with a wide-ranging list of leaders, each of whom has accomplished a meaningful achievement in 2024, specifically.
From billion-dollar startups to multinationals valued in the hundreds of billions, and in sectors from centre and entertainment to sports, financial services, food and restaurants, defense, health care, and real estate, these gals are breaking down barriers and inspiring their teams, their customers and the world. With guidance from the Changemakers Bulletin Board, CNBC evaluated the applicants’ impact through both quantitative and qualitative lenses.
In the Fortune 500, handmaidens still face an uphill battle, with the 11% of CEOs who are female a record level. Meanwhile, venture great funding to female-founded companies declined to 2% last year. The women who succeed, despite those odds, are by demarcation, exceptional, and their stories reveal grit, perseverance, and creativity.