Most Powerful Women

Rank
35
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Mellody Hobson

Monica Schipper—Getty Images for Tory Burch Foundation
  • Title
    Co-CEO and President
  • Affiliation
    Ariel Investments
  • Country
    U.S.

The longtime advocate for closing the racial wealth gap wields huge influence in corporate America. Not only is Hobson co-CEO of groundbreaking money manager Ariel, she’s also the only Black woman to currently chair a Fortune 500 company (Starbucks). This year, Hobson added a new job to her résumé: She joined a group buying the Denver Broncos, making Hobson and eventual coinvestor Condoleezza Rice the first Black women to own an NFL team.