Fortune - USA (2021-10 & 2021-11)

Since the start of the
pandemic, Buck has led
Hershey to its strongest
period of sales growth in
almost a decade with
profits up 11% and e-
commerce sales more
than doubling during the
company’s fiscal 2020.
Buck is tapping into the
health and wellness
boom, acquiring natural
and low-sugar chocolate
brand Lily’s in June, in-
vesting in R&D for sugar-
reduction technology,
and testing plant-based
products with retailers.

Michele Buck
Chairman, President,
and CEO, 60, Hershey

38

41

The eternally troubled

Wells Fargo has yet to

find its footing. In 2020,

the bank saw revenues

decline 15%, while sales

for Mack’s business took

a 10% hit. One bright

spot: Under her supervi-

sion, Wells Fargo ended

up lending nearly

$14 billion in Paycheck

Protection Program

loans through 2021, with

42% going to businesses

in low- to moderate-

income neighborhoods.

Mary Mack

Senior EVP, CEO of

Consumer and Small-

Business Banking,

58, Wells Fargo

39

37

A longtime advocate for

closing the racial wealth

gap, Hobson is a key

leader and adviser of

choice on race issues

at some of the For-

tune 500’s largest com-

panies. On the board of

JPMorgan Chase and

Starbucks, Hobson in De-

cember had her position

at the latter company el-

evated to nonexecutive

chair. In February, Hob-

son cofounded Project

Black, an initiative invest-

ing in Black- and Latinx-

owned companies.

Mellody Hobson

Co-CEO and

President, 52,

Ariel Investments

40

45

Elon Musk may be the

public face of SpaceX,

but it’s Shotwell who

calls the shots day-to-

day. SpaceX has become

the most accomplished

player in a growing

world of commercial

rocket ventures; the

startup has already

launched cargo pay-

loads and astronauts

for NASA. Its valuation,

too, has skyrocketed:

SpaceX was recently val-

ued at $74 billion, mak-

ing it one of the world’s

most prized “unicorns.”

Gwynne

Shotwell

President and COO, 57,

SpaceX

41

48

On Grier’s watch, reve-

nue at EY’s largest geo-

graphic unit climbed

17% to $20.2 billion in its

fiscal 2021. Inside the

professional services

firm, Grier has contin-

ued her focus on em-

ployee well-being, roll-

ing out programs to help

workers cope with the

pandemic. EY has upped

the number of free

counseling sessions,

doubled backup child-

and adult-care days, and

added summer and fall

leave programs.

Kelly Grier

U.S. Chair and Managing

Partner and Americas

Managing Partner, 52,

EY

36 37

As corporate America
turned introspective
over its lack of diversity,
Edward Jones, too,
looked inward. Under
Pennington, one of the
largest U.S. brokerage
firms by headcount said
it planned to nearly dou-
ble its ranks of advisers
of color to 15% by 2025,
and increase the per-
centage who are women
from 21% to 30%. A tur-
bocharged equity mar-
ket drove revenue up 7%
in 2020, and profits rose
$18% to $1.3 billion.

Penny
Pennington
Managing Partner, 57,
Edward Jones

34 35

Syngal has been tweak-

ing the iconic retailer,

shrinking the struggling

Gap and Banana Repub-

lic chains and strength-

ening the booming Old

Navy and Athleta brands,

whose sales last quarter

were, respectively, 21%

and 35% above pre-

pandemic levels. She’s

also ensuring the retailer

evolves with the times:

Old Navy recently said it

would sell more clothes

in larger sizes and stock

plus-size merch through-

out its stores.

Sonia Syngal

CEO, 51, Gap Inc.

Since Bajaria joined

Netflix in 2016, her star

has risen—and so has

Netflix’s impact across

the globe. The streamer

has now produced con-

tent in 40 countries and

offers subtitles in 37 lan-

guages. Even with this

international expansion,

Netflix’s growth has

slowed in recent

months—though the

company is still riding

high from its lockdown-

fueled 2020, when “paid

net membership addi-

tions” shot up 31%.

Bela Bajaria

Head of Global TV,

50, Netflix

33 38 43 39

KEY NO CHANGE MOVED UP MOVED DOWN

42

Whye made a name

for herself as Intel’s

head of diversity

and inclusion before

getting poached by

Apple earlier this

year. She has a big

job ahead of her: De-

spite some improve-

ments, Apple’s

technical workforce

remains 76% male,

and its leadership is

86% white or Asian.

She’s focused on

building inclusion

and diversity into

every system within

the tech giant—and

tracking it. Over

the past year, 43%

of open leader-

ship positions and

29% of R&D roles

have been filled by

candidates from

underrepresented

communities.

Whye led Apple’s

partnership with the

Thurgood Marshall

College Fund as

well as HBCUs and

Hispanic-serving

institutions, to cre-

ate 100 new student

scholarships.

Barbara

Whye

VP of Inclusion and

Diversity, 54, Apple

2020 RANK 40

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MAGES;

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