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The
World’s 50
Greatest
Leaders
The List46
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FORTUNE.COM // MAY.1.19
The hero of the Oscar-
winning documentary
short Period. End of
Sentence invented a
machine that turns
cellulose into low-cost
sanitary napkins —a
boon in India, where
brand-name pads are
prohibitively pricey.
Each machine converts
roughly 3,000 women
to pad usage—and the
freedom of movement
that comes with it—
and provides jobs for
10 more women.
Crow has spent 17
years reinventing
“party school” ASU as
a higher-ed innovator,
adding satellite cam-
puses, online degrees,
and partnerships to
educate Starbucks
employees and Uber
drivers. Enrollment, at
98,000, is nearly twice
that of 2002, and the
student body is far
more economically and
racially diverse. Expan-
sion hasn’t hurt learn-
ing: 52% of students
graduate in four years,
up from 28% in 2002.
FORTUNEÕS REIGNING BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR, Griffith leads by example,
drawing from the experience of having risen from entry-level claims
adjuster to CEO over 30 years at Progressive. In her first C-suite gig, as
head of human resources, she launched Progressive’s first diversity and
inclusion programs. As CEO, she grabs lunch with rank-and-file employ-
ees in the company cafeteria every Friday to help break down commu-
nication barriers and spread cohesion across the ranks. She excels at
fostering creativity, sponsoring innovative hackathons and problem-
solving workshops that spur heads-up thinking. Her moves have made
Progressive a rare fast grower in a competitive, commoditized industry:
Revenue has increased 36% since Griffith took the helm in 2016, thanks
in part to a bet on A.I. and a bold leap into home insurance.arunachalam
muruganantham
Social Entrepreneur,
Jayaashree Industries
michael crow
President, Arizona State
University