Belén Garijo

Merck KGaA CEO Belén Garijo is well aware that she’s the first female CEO in its 355-year history, and she’s spent the past two years working on making sure gaps like that don’t happen again. Since she took over as the German pharmaceutical giant’s chief in 2021, the company has increased the ratio of female employees to 43%, with women in 38% of all leadership roles—well on the way to a goal of complete gender parity in all leadership positions by 2030. A surge in sales saw Merck KGaA net income rise from $1.32 billion in 2019 to more than $3.3 billion in 2021, and Garijo has emphasized China as a key player in keeping that momentum going. With hopes of hitting €25 billion ($26.6 billion) in sales by 2025, Garijo will have to play nice with China and double down on plans to make big acquisitions.