Dominique Senequier

Among the small pool of women running private equity firms, Senequier is a rock star. Defying naysayers, she spun out her firm from French insurer AXA in 2013 and has raised $20 billion in the past 16 months. Its $55 billion-in-assets under management, up 10% from last year, make Ardian the largest private equity firm run by a woman and one of the top ten biggest PE firms in the world. In April Senequier closed a $14 billion fund—the largest secondary fund ever raised, locking in 180 investors from 26 countries in record time. A concert pianist, Senequier also serves as vice-president of the Hermès supervisory board.