There are only 24 female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies as of August 2018. That’s a 25-percent year-over-year drop in female representation in the highest echelon of business. Indra Nooyi, who stepped down as CEO of PepsiCo in early August, was one of only two women of color operating at that level.
Illustration by Carrie Lapolla. Clockwise from top left: Mary Barra, General Motors; Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin; Deanna Mulligan, Guardian Life Insurance; Abigail Johnson, Fidelity Investments; Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo; Ginni Rometty, IBM; Geisha Williams, PG&E (center).