Most Powerful Women

Rank
30
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Beth Ford

Beth Ford
A portrait of Beth Ford, president of Land O Lakes at the company's headquarters in Arden Hills, Minnesota, on Wednesday, August 29, 2018. Photo by Jenn Ackerman @ackermangruberJenn Ackerman for Fortune
  • Title
    President and CEO
  • Affiliation
    Land O’Lakes
  • Age
    54

Ford was promoted into the top job from the chief operating officer role in August, taking over the nearly $14-billion-in-revenue co-op at a challenging time for the agriculture industry. The operations guru has helped Land O’Lakes look beyond its core dairy business, investing in technology and R&D such as its ag-tech platform. Now Ford, who made history when she became the first openly gay female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, will have to grapple with the tariffs placed on U.S. dairy goods and grain in response to President Trump’s trade war. She’s the first woman to run the co-op and the latest addition to the small group of female CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies.

Personal Information

Previous Rank-
Newcomer?NEW

Company Financials (2017, or most recently completed fiscal year)

Revenues ($M)137,404
Profits ($M)3,142
Market Value as of 09/18/18 ($M)-