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MPWMost Powerful Women

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

Kristen Bellstrom
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Kristen Bellstrom
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Kristen Bellstrom
By
Kristen Bellstrom
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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.

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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
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