In 2002, the year we launched Women Worth Watching™, there were only 10 women CEOs at the helm of Fortune 500 companies.
At the time, I remember thinking that those numbers showed real progress. Just two years before, there had been only three women CEOs on that list. Three. And studies showed that more than one half of the Fortune 500 organizations had fewer than three women corporate officers.*
I couldn’t help but wonder—“it’s the dawn of a new century, so why is it still so rare to have a woman leader at the corporate table?”
That’s why we launched Women Worth Watching. Showcasing the breadth of female leadership talent in organizations; urging corporations to identify, recognize and deeply develop their women of influence; and recognizing those organizations that help women leaders thrive…we believed, and still do, that there’s no better way to start a movement in an organization.
Read Nine Success Stories
Since our inaugural year, nine of the women we have featured from Fortune 1000 companies have gone on to take on their organization’s top role. That’s a pretty remarkable number! And one look at the thousands of talented women we have recognized over the last 13 years will tell you the leadership talent pipeline is full and deep.
We may still have far to go. But there are many organizations with the will, the culture, and the bench strength to get us there. Those are the organizations you’ll read about in this issue.
I encourage you to celebrate the talent in your organization—and strengthen your leadership pipeline—by nominating a Woman Worth Watching today. I also invite you to read the compelling stories of the nine Fortune 1000 CEOs that are former award recipients.
Nominate your Woman Worth Watching today. Nominations close June 20.
