Women Taking Over The Corner Office In 2025

Though women held only 9.8% of CEO roles across S&P 500 companies in Q1 2025, according to Altrata, several notable female leaders have recently taken the helm of major firms globally, from Wall Street to Shanghai, across banking, beauty, aviation, and technology.

- BY AMAL ABDELWAHAB

• Kecia Steelman
President and CEO, Ulta Beauty
Sector: Beauty & Cosmetics
Headquarters: U.S.

Steelman became President and CEO of Ulta Beauty in January 2025. Since joining Ulta in 2014, she has held key leadership roles, including President and COO. Before Ulta, she held senior roles at Family Dollar, Home Depot, and Target Corporation. Steelman now leads one of the America's largest beauty retailers as it expands internationally, recently opening its first store in Mexico, with having a franchise in the Middle East, and its subsidiary, Space NK, a luxury beauty retailer operating in the U.K. and Ireland. In the first half of fiscal 2025, Ulta's net sales rose 6.8% to $5.6 billion, driven by comparable sales growth and the acquisition of Space NK.

• Bonnie Brennan
CEO, Christie's
Sector: Auction & Fine Art
Headquarters: U.K.

Brennan became CEO of Christie's in February 2025, succeeding Guillaume Cerutti, after serving as President of Christie's Americas since 2021. A 28-year auction veteran, she joined Christie's in 2012 following 15 years at Sotheby's. During her tenure, she helped drive growth across the Americas and strengthen Christie's market position, leading the region to account for 48% of global auction sales. Brennan now heads the 259-year-old art powerhouse, which operates in 46 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, and conducts more than 80 art and luxury categories worldwide. In H1 2025, it recorded $2.1 billion in projected auction sales with overall sell through rate at 88%.

• Gunjan Kedia
CEO, U.S. Bancorp
Sector: Banking & Financial Services
Headquarters: U.S.