Good morning! Costco stands by its DEI programs, E. Jean Carroll wins against Trump on appeal, and Fortune’s Nina Ajemian shares what to expect in 2025.
– The year ahead. This is our last edition of Most Powerful Women Daily until 2025—we’ll be back in your inboxes on Jan. 2. So what better way to close out the year than with some predictions for the year ahead? We tapped some experts in the MPW community for 2025 outlooks in key topic areas for this readership.
In the C-suites of the Fortune 500, Korn Ferry global vice chair for board and CEO services Jane EdisonStevenson says that executives are going to need more diverse skillsets than ever.
“There is a huge need for both transformational and operational leadership—and in equal parts in the same person. The ability to juggle between the ‘perform’ of the job and the ‘transform’ of the job is huge. The need to reinvent while the plane is flying is one of the fundamental capabilities that is needed next year.”
As for what should be the trend of 2025? “Women moving into operating roles should be the trend of 2025,” Stevenson says.
In the startup ecosystem—and particularly, women’s health—Lux Capital general partner Deena Shakir is realistic about unpredictability and challenges that lie ahead.
“The women’s health market in 2025 will likely continue to face complex challenges shaped by political dynamics at both federal and state levels. [But] the sector’s resilience post-Dobbs, where companies successfully adapted their services and saw increased demand, proves that regulatory constraints can compel creativity and innovation.
From an investment perspective, the landscape is increasingly promising. Rather than deterring investors, recent challenges have catalyzed greater interest in women’s health companies, with many seeing capital deployment as a mechanism for action. New dedicated funds are emerging, and the success of multiple unicorns in the category has validated both the market opportunity and impact potential. Companies that focus on demonstrable outcomes, while building adaptable platforms that can evolve alongside the regulatory landscape will be well-positioned to succeed.”
Women’s sports were one of the biggest stories of 2024, with huge leaps for the WNBA and National Women’s Soccer League, growth across emerging professional sports, and new levels of opportunities for businesses and athletes. Kara Nortman, a cofounder of the Angel City Football Club and managing partner at Monarch Collective, thinks that trend will continue, especially across soccer, golf, and basketball, as well as cricket and rugby abroad.
“Women’s sports, both established and emerging, will continue to see a rise in attendance, creative sponsorship engagements, and player compensation…Sponsors who realize the type of influence and audience commanded by other women’s sports are also getting the memo; other sports will begin to catch tennis when it comes to endorsement dollars, prize money, and salaries.
Capital will also continue to flow into emerging sports that are showing a consistent fan experience, have excellent leadership, and those that are showing strong data and statistics coming out of the college market; hockey, volleyball, and softball are a few examples…The women’s sports sponsorship market [will] continue growing, with early adopters celebrated and the entire market growing many multiples over the next five to 10 years.”
Thanks for reading and have a happy new year. See you in 2025!
Nina Ajemian
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Standing by DEI. Costco recommended that shareholders vote against an anti-DEI proposal brought forward by a conservative think tank. The retailer is a rare corporation to fight for its diversity initiatives amid a widespread pullback. CNN
- Appeal for E. Jean. An appeals court upheld E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million judgment against Donald Trump, in which he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case (which he has denied). The incoming president is also appealing Carroll’s $83 million victory. NBC News
- More to come. After Gisèle Pelicot’s husband was sentenced to 20 years for drugging and raping her with others for over a decade, 17 of the 49 men convicted said they plan to appeal their sentences. A new trial would be held within the next year. BBC
- Pickleball power. Women players in the Professional Pickleball Association Tour and Major League Pickleball made, on average, $260,000—this is more than the annual salary of the highest-paid WNBA player and more than double the average NWSL salary. This year was big for professional pickleball, with the creation of a unified league and growth in revenue, attendance, and sponsorship. CNBC
ON MY RADAR
Women shouldn’t face a penalty for promoting themselvesFinancial Times
There’s nothing meek or mild about childbirth: Why have male artists sanitized the Virgin Mary?Guardian
The year female desire went mainstreamCNN
PARTING WORDS
“I have just a wonderful job, an easy job, a job I love. So it’s fun for me to work.”
—Center for Retirement Research founder Alicia Munnell on retiring at 82—which she doesn't advocate for everyone
