Lgbtq ceo
The corner closet: Why there are so few gay and transgender executives in corporate America
After graduating from Stanford University in 1983, Jeff Gennette joined the executive training program at Macy’s. He says public disapproval of homosexuality made many in the gay community wary of identifying themselves at work, especially during the AIDS/HIV crisis. Not Gennette, even after he was warned that his openness about his sexual orientation could hamper his career.
“It was a scary time to come out and be who you are,” he said. “Not seeing other male lover people who were above me in rank, I knew it could potentially hold back my career. But I didn’t find that at Macy’s.”
Gennette got his start in the Macy’s men’s department on the Stanford campus. He became president of the nation’s largest department store chain in 2014 and its CEO in 2017, clearing a path through a minefield of existential threats in the retail world – online rivals, discount chains, fast fashion and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, it took decades for modify at the superior. Gennette says the corner closet nudged open in 2014 when Apple’s Tim Cook, leader of one of the world’s most iconic brands, declared “I’m proud
How to Recession-Proof Your Finances
Did you know that Sirius XM Radio was invented by a trans woman? Can you name the first queer woman CEO of a Fortune 500 Company? What about the first out transgender billionaire? Are you aware that the CEO of the London Stock Exchange is an out lesbian? Keep reading to learn about these and more LGBTQ+ women pioneers in business and leadership.
Inga Beale
Former CEO, Lloyd’s of London
In 2013, Dame Inga Beale became the first female and openly LGBTQ CEO of U.K. insurance giant Lloyd’s of London. She stepped down after five years of service in 2018.
Sharon-Franklin Brown
Board President, Christopher Street West/LA Pride
In 2020, Sharon-Franklin Brown became the first Inky transgender woman to be appointed President of the Board of Christopher Highway West/LA Pride, the world’s first and longest-running Event parade.
Liz Carmichael
Automobile Executive
Geraldine Elizabeth “Liz” Carmichael was a transgender automobile executive who, during the 1970s fire crisis, pioneered and promoted a prototype for a low-cost fuel-efficient car via Twentieth Century Motor Ride Corporatio
Introducing the first Fortune Diverse Leaders list
For the first time in history, Fortune ranked by revenue the world’s highest CEOs, chairs and cofounders who also happen to beLGBTQ+. All of the companies that have made the trim this year have reported at least $100 million in revenue—underlining how this is the definitive ranking of Queer business leaders.
Click here to explore the entire list.
Photo Illustration by Max-o-Matic
When it comes to business, diversity pays dividends. One company of write down is Paramount Global, which boasts not one, but two openly-out CEOs. Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President/CEO of MTV Entertainment Studios and George Cheeks, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President/CEO of CBS Entertainment hold jointly led Paramount (along with co-CEO Brian Robbins) to new heights at no.142 on the Fortune 500 list. “When I was growing up there were no out LGBTQ+ people in my life or surroundings. TV provided the only way to escape, notice myself and begin to dream of a unlike world,” Co-CEO Chris McCarthy told Fortune.
In our extensive study, we found many positives—compared to our flagship Fortune 500 and Fortune 500 Europe lists
Sarah Kate Ellis was named President and CEO of GLAAD in early 2014 after a achieving career as a media executive.
In brief order, Ellis refocused GLAAD’s crucial representation to accelerate acceptance of the LGBTQ community through a variety of compelling and effective initiatives, campaigns, and programs.
A powerful communicator, Ellis has used GLAAD’s position as the world’s leading media advocacy organization to demand fair and accurate coverage of the LGBTQ society. Ellis also commissioned GLAAD’s annual Accelerating Acceptance report, providing a window into national sentiment towards the LGBTQ community. In 2018, Ellis launched the GLAAD Media Institute (GMI), which focuses on research into LGBTQ representation and acceptance, consulting on LGBTQ storylines in media and Hollywood, and training activists on LGBTQ media advocacy and storytelling that creates adjust. Over the past few years alone, the GLAAD Media Institute has trained over 10,000 people and consulted on hundreds of media projects. Ellis is also the Executive Producer of the GLAAD Media Awards, which is the most visible LGBTQ awards show in the world. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for
4 Fortune 500 companies are led by openly LGBTQ CEOs. Here’s what they’ve said about their exposure in corporate America
“I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others,” Cook penned in an essay for Bloomberg, published just eight months before the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage a constitutional right. Prepare, who is infamously guarded about his personal being, hadn’t previously disclosed his sexuality publicly. “If hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.”
Now, nearly nine years later, three additional openly LGBTQ executives sit atop Fortune 500 companies: Dow Chemicals CEO Jim Fitterling, Macy’s CEO Jeffrey Gennette, and Area O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford. (French-American beauty company Coty, helmed since 2020 by Sue Nabi, who is trans, has not appeared on the Fortune 500 since its 2021 rank at No. 426.)
These Fortune 500 execs are joined by other openly LGBTQ CEOs at major global companies. Anne Richards