• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPWMost Powerful Women

Meet the 9 Newcomers to Fortune’s 2016 Most Powerful Women List

Kristen Bellstrom
By
Kristen Bellstrom
Kristen Bellstrom
Down Arrow Button Icon
Kristen Bellstrom
By
Kristen Bellstrom
Kristen Bellstrom
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 8, 2016, 7:30 AM ET
Microsoft Holds Its Annual Shareholders Meeting
BELLEVUE, WA - DECEMBER 2: Microsoft CFO and Executive Vice President Amy Hood addresses the Microsoft Annual Shareholders meeting, on December 2, 2015 in Bellevue, Washington. In addition to diversity effort, the company announced the addition to two women to its board of directors. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)Stephen Brashear Getty Images

Change, it has been said, is the only constant in life. That old adage certainly holds true for Fortune‘s 2016 Most Powerful Women list, which includes nine brand-new faces. This year’s newbies are a diverse bunch, including two CEOs of Fortune 500 giants, a CFO, and top execs from industries ranging from finance to pharma to telecom.

Here’s a look at our 2016 newcomers:

The highest ranked new addition is No. 18: Tricia Griffith, CEO and president of Progressive, the fourth-largest auto insurer in the U.S. While Griffith is a newcomer to the MPW list, she’s an old hand at Progressive. She joined the company as a claims rep back in 1988 and worked her way up to the very top, becoming chief in July of this year.

The only other CEO to join this year is Vicki Hollub, who became the first-ever woman to run a U.S. energy explorer in May of last year. Hollub, who ascended to the top job at a time when falling oil prices are dogging her industry, joins the list at No. 32 at the helm of Occidental Petroleum.

Karen Lynch became the first-ever female president of Aetna early last year. Debuting at No. 26, Lynch is responsible for a full 95% of the insurer’s $60 billion in revenues—a number that would nearly double if Aetna’s proposed acquisition of Humana goes through.

Microsoft’s Amy Hood, who comes in at No. 31, is one of a growing number of CFOs on the list. Hood, who also took on some of former COO Kevin Turner’s responsibilities when he left in July, was a major player in the company’s $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn earlier this year. Interestingly, Hood is the only list newbie this year from a technology company, which is the single most represented industry on the list.

Subscribe to The Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

Julie Sweet, Group chief executive of Accenture North America, joined her fellow female professional services firm leaders from KPMG and Deloitte this year, entering the list at No. 39. Sweet was tapped to run the $14 billion business in June of 2015.

Verizon’s Marni Walden, EVP and president for Product Innovation and New Business, is the only woman from a telecom firm to make the ranking this year. Walden, No. 40, is now focusing on integrating Verizon’s latest big buy, Yahoo—helmed by former MPW honoree Marissa Mayer—with AOL.

With list stalwart Carrie Tolstedt retiring from her post as Wells Fargo’s head of Community Banking in July, her successor, Mary Mack, vaults onto the list at No. 43.

Jennifer Taubert, No. 45, is the only new arrival from the healthcare/pharma industry. As a company group chairman of Johnson & Johnson, Taubert oversees nearly 30% of the company’s revenues as head of the America’s for Janssen, the company’s pharmaceutical business.

The final newbie, Bank of America’s Anne Finucane, is the only woman to hold the vice chairman title at a major bank. She plays a number of roles at B of A, handling strategy and marketing, as well as serving as a main go-to for the bank’s major shareholders. She makes her debut at No. 50.

Click here to read the full 2016 list of Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women in Business.

About the Author
Kristen Bellstrom
By Kristen Bellstrom
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

burke
ConferencesAthletic Gear
The CEO of Trek Bicycle reads 52 books a year, hates smartphones, and thinks Milton Friedman was wrong
By Nick LichtenbergMay 6, 2026
19 hours ago
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash
C-SuiteRetail
Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash
By Phil WahbaApril 30, 2026
7 days ago
Emma Grede, who helped found the $5 billion Skims empire, rejects ‘celebrity CEO’ label: ‘I’m a CEO who’s done so well you know my name’
SuccessEntrepreneurship
Emma Grede, who helped found the $5 billion Skims empire, rejects ‘celebrity CEO’ label: ‘I’m a CEO who’s done so well you know my name’
By Cheyann HarrisApril 29, 2026
8 days ago
She left Citigroup after 18 years as one of its top women. Why Ida Liu chose HSBC as her next move
NewslettersMPW Daily
She left Citigroup after 18 years as one of its top women. Why Ida Liu chose HSBC as her next move
By Nicholas GordonApril 27, 2026
10 days ago
Trek spent over $300,000 closing women’s cycling’s prize-money gap. Its CEO says the point is to make the checks obsolete
MPWSports
Trek spent over $300,000 closing women’s cycling’s prize-money gap. Its CEO says the point is to make the checks obsolete
By Catherina GioinoApril 26, 2026
11 days ago
Meet the founder who started over at 50 and worked 20-hour days to build a multimillion dollar cookie dough empire—and still won’t take a day off
EuropeFortune The Good Life
Meet the founder who started over at 50 and worked 20-hour days to build a multimillion dollar cookie dough empire—and still won’t take a day off
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 26, 2026
11 days ago

Most Popular

A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
Magazine
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
24 hours ago
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
Success
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
By Emma BurleighMay 5, 2026
2 days ago
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: avoid retiring early, study finds
Economy
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: avoid retiring early, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergMay 5, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Zuckerberg once gave a Facebook engineer startup advice at 2 a.m. while 'hanging out with all the interns'—she quit and raised millions after
Success
Mark Zuckerberg once gave a Facebook engineer startup advice at 2 a.m. while 'hanging out with all the interns'—she quit and raised millions after
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 6, 2026
13 hours ago
Dario Amodei spent last year warning of an AI white-collar bloodbath. Now he's changing the narrative
Economy
Dario Amodei spent last year warning of an AI white-collar bloodbath. Now he's changing the narrative
By Nick LichtenbergMay 5, 2026
1 day ago
AI could solve America's $39 trillion debt crisis—but only if Washington abandons displaced workers, Yale Budget Lab warns
Economy
AI could solve America's $39 trillion debt crisis—but only if Washington abandons displaced workers, Yale Budget Lab warns
By Jake AngeloMay 6, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.