Helena Helmersson

Helmersson has been putting sustainability at the forefront of H&M’s focus since taking the helm in 2020—and it’s not going unnoticed. This year, the fast-fashion giant started selling second-hand clothes and accessories, with the first store to do so opening in Barcelona early this year. Now consumers can give un-wanted fashion garments a second life in the U.K., the U.S., Sweden, and Germany. Doing good for the planet is doing well for H&M’s bottom line: Shares of the retailer, which earned $22 billion in 2022 revenue, have surged by around a third in the past year. Impressed by Helmersson’s eco-efforts, the Fashion Pact, a global initiative of fashion and textile companies committed to tackling climate change and restoring biodiversity, named her its co-chair this year. Meanwhile, in 2020 she was appointed an honorary doctor by the Faculty of Social Sciences at Umeå University, Sweden, for her commitment to sustainability issues.