Marillyn Hewson

If there was one executive determined not to let politics get in the way of business this year, it was Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson. She deftly deflected a string of tweet attacks from President Trump—the Commander-in-Chief of Lockheed’s largest customer—by vowing to cut the cost of the company’s new F-35 fighter jets and to create 1,800 U.S. jobs. Hewson then reaped the benefits of Trump’s $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, securing contracts worth a quarter of that total. The company’s sales are on track to grow 7% in 2017. (Hewson also remained on Trump’s now-disbanded manufacturing council when many of her peers resigned this summer.) Lockheed stockholders, meanwhile, have been well rewarded, earning an 81% total return over the past three years and 28% so far in 2017. —Jen Wieczner