Marjan Rintel

Marjan Rintel’s 2022 appointment to CEO of KLM, the world's oldest running airline, was a homecoming of sorts for the executive who first joined the Dutch carrier in 1999 as a vice president. In between, she worked at the state-owned railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, where she ultimately became CEO. Rintel is the first female CEO in KLM’s history. She has been tasked with helping the business recover from the COVID-19 pandemic when the company received a government bailout. In 2023, revenue rose 13% to $13.6 billion from the prior year. The Netherlands-based executive has turned heads with her approach to cutting carbon emissions: She’s encouraged passengers to take the train rather than fly on some short-haul journeys and urged airlines to stop seeing rail as a competitor.