Companies with LGBTQ+ Leadership

Posted by Jerry McNulty on 6/30/22 2:32 PM

June is Pride Month and it is time to celebrate the gains made by the LGBTQ+ community, the sacrifices made by those throughout history and the leading examples of strides the LGBTQ+ community has made in recent years.

If you look at many of the major companies in America and the world you can see in their leadership the many different faces of the LGBTQ+ community. Every year we see more and more LGBTQ+ persons filling the role of CEO for these very companies.

We are highlighting some examples of the LGBTQ+ leaders who have persevered through the trials of being "different" and came to lead some of the largest and most innovative companies in the world. Their leadership has brought a different perspective to the business world, creating forward-thinking and inclusive companies and changing the landscape for LGBTQ+ persons now and in the future.

And while there is still much left to be done to create true equality, we want to celebrate the trailblazers who have done so much and have worked so hard to close that gap.

Topics: Entrepreneurial Spirit, LGBTQ, pride month, ceo, Inclusiveness

Sarah Kate Ellis

Sarah Kate Ellis - GLAAD

Sarah Kate Ellis was named President and CEO of GLAAD in early 2014 after a successful career as a media executive.

In short order, Ellis refocused GLAAD’s crucial advocacy to accelerate acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community through a variety of compelling and effective initiatives, campaigns, and programs.

Prior to joining GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis led national media brands, notably growing Real Simple into one of Time Inc.’s most respected and successful magazines. Sarah also had stops at Vogue, InStyle, New York, and House & Garden. She served as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Martini Media, a digital firm specializing in online branding, public relations and marketing.

As co-chair of OUT at Time Inc., she led programming to spotlight the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and educate the organization’s straight allies on a wide range of LGBTQ+ issues.

Ellis earned her B.A. from Russell Sage College and also attended the Tuck Executive Education program at Dartmouth.

https://www.glaad.org/about/staff/sarahkateellis

Alan Joyce - Qantas Airways (OTCMKTS: QABSY)

Alan Joyce was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Qantas in November 2008.

He is also a Member of the Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee.

Mr. Joyce is a Director of the Business Council of Australia and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. He is also a Director of a number of controlled entities of the Qantas Group. Between June 2009 and October 2021, Mr. Joyce was a Member of the International Air Transport Association’s Board of Governors, having served as Chairman from 2012 to 2013.

Prior to being named CEO of Qantas he was the Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar from 2003 to 2008. Before that, he spent over 15 years in leadership positions with Qantas, Ansett and Aer Lingus.

Source: https://www.qantas.com/us/en/qantas-group/acting-responsibly/our-leadership.html

Anne Richards - Fidelity International (NYSE: FNF)

Anne joined Fidelity International in 2018 and has worked in the asset management industry since 1992, including nearly three decades as an analyst, portfolio manager and CIO.

She is a strong proponent of ESG investing, believing that we must consider not just short-term financial returns, but the longer-term financial and societal consequences of our actions.

Her career path has seen her in roles with Alliance Capital, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and Aberdeen Asset Management.

Anne was appointed a Dame Commander (DBE) in June 2021 for services to Financial Services, Women, Education and Science.

Source: https://www.fidelityinstitutional.com/en-gb/about-us/leadership

George Arison - Swift Technologies (NASDAQ: SFT)

George is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Swift. The idea for Shift came when banks told him to go to a dealer to get a loan for a car he was buying.

Similarly, he co-founded his previous company Taxi Magic (Curb) when as a consultant, he took cabs a lot, he saw the need for mobile technology that allows users to book on-demand ground transportation.

George has also been a product manager at Google and a manager for political campaigns in his native country of Georgia.

Source: https://shift.com/about/team-profile/t1

Jeffrey Gennette

Jeffrey Gennette - Macy's (NYSE: M)

Jeff Gennette was elected Chief Executive Officer of Macy's, Inc. in March 2017 and assumed the role of chairman in February 2018. Gennette previously held the role of President of Macy's, Inc. from 2014 through August 2017. Prior to that, he was the Chief Merchandising Officer of Macy's, Inc., a position to which he was appointed in February 2009.

Gennette began his retail career in 1983 as an Executive Trainee at Macy's West in San Francisco. He held positions of increasing responsibility, including Vice President and Division Merchandise Manager for men's collections, and Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for men's and children's. In 2004, Gennette was appointed Executive Vice President and Director of Stores at Macy's Central in Atlanta.

During his career, he also served as a store manager for FAO Schwarz and Director of Stores for Broadway Stores, Inc. From February 2006 to February 2008, Gennette served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle-based Macy's Northwest. Gennette returned to San Francisco from February 2008 to February 2009 as Chairman and CEO of Macy's West.

Source: https://www.macysinc.com/about/management-team

Jim Fitterling - Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW)

Jim Fitterling is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dow, a global materials science company.

He has played a key role in the Company’s transformation, from lower-margin, commodity businesses to one more deeply focused on higher-growth, consumer demand-driven markets that value innovation – with the goal of creating the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world.

Fitterling was named Chief Executive Officer in March 2018, and officially assumed the role in July 2018. He was elected chairman in April 2020. Before becoming CEO, he served as president and Chief Operating Officer of Dow. From September 2017 through March 2019, he also served as Chief Operating Officer for the Materials Science Division of DowDuPont, an $86 billion holding company comprised of The Dow Chemical Company and DuPont.

During his 37-year career at Dow, Fitterling has held leadership positions in many of the Company’s business units, in corporate development and in business operations.

Source: https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/about/company/leadership/jim-fitterling.html

Baoli Ma - Blue City Holdings (NASDAQ: BLCT)

Mr. Baoli Ma is the founder and Chairman of Blue City Holdings and has served as the Director and Chief Executive Officer since its inception.

Prior to founding the company, Mr. Ma served as deputy director of information research at Qinhuangdao Public Security Bureau from 1997 to 2012. Mr. Ma studied public security at Qinhuangdao People's Police School from 1992 to 1996, public security management at Chinese People's Armed Police Force Academy from 2002 to 2003, and received his bachelor of laws degree in public security management from People's Public Security University of China in 2006.

Source: https://ir.blue-city.com/corporate-governance/management

Martine Rothblatt

Martine Rothblatt - United Therapeutics (NASDAQ: UTHR)

Martine Rothblatt is Chair & CEO of United Therapeutics, a company she started to save the life of one of her daughters. She leads efforts to create novel therapies for rare diseases, decode the pharmacogenomic properties of medicines and manufacture an unlimited supply of transplantable organs.

She previously founded and led Sirius XM as its Chair & CEO, and launched other satellite systems for navigation and international television broadcasting.

She has a Bachelor’s (Communications Studies, Summa Cum Laude), JD and MBA degrees from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Medical Ethics from the Royal London School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Source: https://www.lifenaut.com/martine-rothblatt/

Sue Y. Nabi - Coty (NYSE: COTY)

Sue Y. Nabi is a beauty entrepreneur and innovator. Prior to joining Coty, she founded and ran the new-age luxury skincare line Orveda.

During her 20 years with L’Oréal, she presided over such iconic brands as L’Oréal Paris and Lancôme. Sue holds an Advanced Master’s Degree in Marketing Management from Paris Business School ESSEC, and is an Agronomist and Environmental Engineer by training.

Source: https://www.coty.com/our-story/coty-leaders/sue-y-nabi

Tim Cook - Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)

Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple and serves on its board of directors.

Before being named CEO in August 2011, Tim was Apple’s chief operating officer and was responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships.

Prior to joining Apple, Tim was Vice President of Corporate Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq’s product inventory.

Previous to his work at Compaq, Tim was the Chief Operating Officer of the Reseller Division at Intelligent Electronics.

Tim earned an MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.

Source: https://www.apple.com/leadership/tim-cook/

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