Amanda Blanc

Blanc has transformed the U.K.-based insurer since she took over at amid the COVID- and Brexit-related turmoil of 2020. She streamlined the company, divesting businesses, and fought off—and then won over—an activist investor, returning 5 billion pounds in capital to shareholders earlier this year. Despite the macroeconomic challenges, Aviva saw 13% growth in premiums in its U.K. and Ireland markets in the first half of 2023, as well as strong demand for private health insurance. One of the few women to run a FTSE-listed company, she’s a prominent leader in the British business community on climate, gender, and the national economy. Earlier this year, Blanc advised U.K. company leaders and policymakers to “stop talking ourselves down” in the interest of remaining globally competitive.