Sue Nabi

Sue Nabi, a transgender woman born in Algeria and raised in France, was the fifth CEO in five years to attempt to turn around beauty behemoth Coty when she got the top job three years ago. An earlier, ill-advised deal to buy most of Procter & Gamble’s beauty business saddled Coty with debt and put it behind rivals like L’Oréal and Estée Lauder. Nabi’s track record suggests she may have the magic Coty is looking for. She repaired Lancôme’s business in the late 2000s and came up with L’Oréal’s famous “You’re worth it” campaign. As Coty CEO, her early strategies to introduce new products at a faster clip, find new markets for old brands like CoverGirl, and license more products for brands such as Gucci and Burberry to expand its China business seem to be working. Revenue rose 5% last fiscal year to $5.5 billion, and Coty has been profitable for two straight years after an extended period of losses.