Levelling the playing field for women.

In 2026, women entered boardrooms that had never previously had a woman at the head of the table. Big Oil got its first female CEO. A global mining association appointed its first female leader. Even the most famous men’s razor brand in the world is now run by a woman.

For our Q4 2026 list of the most powerful women in business, we looked at five women whose appointments this year best illustrate the direction of corporate leadership. We have focused on size, firsts and the establishment of positions in industries that have been almost exclusively dominated by men: mining, chemicals, banking, energy and (rather unexpectedly) men’s grooming.

5. Ginbee Go, incoming CEO, Bank of the Philippine Islands

Why she’s here: the first woman to be named CEO of the oldest bank in Southeast Asia.

Maria Cristina “Ginbee” Go has been appointed as incoming CEO of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), succeeding Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco. The announcement was made on 22 October. She will take office on 26 April 2027, pending approval. BPI is now approximately 175 years old. Ginbee Go will be the first woman to lead the bank.

Go has worked at the bank for 23 years. She currently leads the consumer banking operations. She also led BPI Family Savings Bank and was involved in its merger into BPI. This is the same step followed by her predecessor. Her previous positions also include Procter & Gamble, Ayala Land and Citibank.

Her background is strong. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School with honours. She came top in the national CPA exam in the Philippines in 1991. Her job will be to lead BPI in a rapidly expanding and rapidly digitalised retail banking environment (Manila Bulletin).

4. Juliana Azevedo, CEO, P&G Global Grooming (Gillette)

Why she’s here: the first woman to lead Gillette, one of the most famous brands built for men for over a century.

Juliana Azevedo became the head of P&G’s global personal grooming business in July, replacing Gary Coombe, who retired after 40 years at the company (exchange4media). The business includes Gillette, Braun, Venus and King C. Gillette, serves approximately 800 million consumers and produces about $7 billion annually.

Azevedo has been with P&G for her entire career. She began as an intern in 1996. She was the first woman to lead P&G in Latin America. During that time she led a turnaround. She has also previously led Home Care, which is P&G’s second-largest business. She also previously worked on the integration of Gillette in Brazil. This gives her some understanding of the brand.

What makes this role interesting is the symbolism. Gillette has long been marketed specifically to men. Few products have been more gendered. Now a woman is in charge of the world’s largest shaving brand (Happi).

3. Froydis Cameron-Johansson, incoming President and CEO, ICMM

Why she’s here: leading one of the most male-dominated sectors of the global economy as the first woman to be President and CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals.

Froydis Cameron-Johansson will take the reins of the ICMM from 23 November following a competitive and intensive search process. Her appointment was announced on 14 October. ICMM comprises many of the largest mining companies in the world and so its CEO essentially acts as the representative for the mining industry on a global level.

Cameron-Johansson has worked in some of the top resource companies such as Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Shell. Her experience gives her credibility with member companies at a delicate moment.

The importance of her role is that critical minerals like nickel, lithium and copper are at the heart of both global trade between the largest economies and the shift towards a low-carbon energy economy. Cameron-Johansson will help ensure that supply chains and mining of these minerals follow a responsible path and as such she is in a key position in one of the key industry issues of the decade.

2. Karen S. Carter, CEO, Dow

Why she’s here: the journey from intern to CEO of one of the largest chemical companies in the world and one of only three Black female CEOs of a Fortune 500 company.

Karen S. Carter has been Dow’s CEO since 1 July 2026, succeeding Jim Fitterling who has taken on the role of executive chair. Chemicals and heavy industry have rarely had women at the CEO level. Carter now leads a global company in the field of materials science.

Carter started at Dow as an intern in 1994 and has worked her way up through marketing, sustainability and commercial roles. She has managed Packaging & Specialty Plastics (the largest division at Dow) and has also held the position of chief operating officer prior to her appointment as CEO (Plastics Technology).

The chemicals industry is at a difficult time with the focus on efficiency and restructuring. Her appointment has also secured her a place on Fortune’s list of 2026 Most Powerful Women and has also put her among a very small number of Black female CEOs at a Fortune 500 company (AfroTech).

1. Meg O’Neill, CEO, bp

Why she’s here: the first woman to hold the position of CEO at an oil supermajor and she only has six weeks to present her vision to the market.

Meg O’Neill became bp CEO on 1 April 2026. She is the first female CEO of one of the top five oil companies and the first external hire to run the British company in over 100 years. O’Neill was placed 16th on Fortune’s list of 2026 Most Powerful Women and is also making her first appearance on the list.

Before joining bp she ran Woodside Energy, where she led the 2022 merger with BHP’s oil and gas division. At bp O’Neill inherited a company that had changed CEOs three times in five years, a debt level of approximately $22 billion and pressure from activist investor Elliott Management.

O’Neill will face her first real test in the fourth quarter. bp releases its third quarter results on 30 October and O’Neill will be presenting her full plan for the company in New York on 15 December (ITV News). She has already taken steps to improve shareholder returns and has begun to sell bp’s US biogas unit, Archaea. What O’Neill presents in this period will not only impact on bp but also on the perception of women in energy at the top level.

What this list tells us about 2026

What ties the women together is not only their positions but also that boards of chemicals, mining, consumer companies and energy are now actively looking to appoint women to top positions. Four of the five are making history in their respective companies and the fifth heads one of the toughest heavy-industry businesses on the planet.

One trend that can be seen is that many of the women have been with their company for a long time and many began in intern roles. This signals a move towards promoting women that have been nurtured rather than passing them by.

Read this article on its own ↗

You might be ready for more responsibility in your role but not know how to ask for it. ‘I want more responsibility’ is a reasonable ambition, but it leaves your manager to decide what this means. Making a specific request makes the conversation easier and helps stop the extra work becoming an open-ended addition.

You should aim to come to an agreement about a manageable opportunity with clear support, authority and expectations. More responsibility should allow you to demonstrate readiness or gain a new skill rather than simply make your working day longer.

Decide what you want to gain

Decide on a specific skill you would like to gain; for example, mentoring, customer communication, decision-making, technical skills or project ownership. Then decide on a specific opportunity that allows you to practise that skill. For example, leading one well-defined project may be more useful than taking on several unrelated duties.

Link the opportunity to a real team need. For example, a process may need an owner, a new team member may need mentoring or a small project may keep losing momentum. Do not offer to solve a problem before you know the size of the problem.

Demonstrate readiness

Identify examples showing that you can handle the next step. For example, you may have completed current responsibilities reliably, coordinated a smaller project or identified and managed a risk. Also identify areas where you still require support.

Readiness does not mean you already know everything. It means you have enough knowledge of the project to discuss support and boundaries appropriately. If an aspect of your current role is still challenging, it may be useful to improve this aspect as well as attempt a manageable increase in responsibility.

Create a short request

Describe the opportunity, the benefit, what you will do and what resources you will require. For example: ‘I would like to coordinate the next customer feedback review. I will organise the interviews and produce a summary, with you approving the interview questions and final recommendations.’

Also decide on a timescale and a review. A six-week pilot is easier to evaluate than an indefinite change. Also identify how success will be measured and what you will gain from the opportunity.

Request to meet

Choose a suitable time for this conversation. This could be at a one-to-one or during a development meeting. Provide your manager with enough information so they can prepare; for example: ‘I would like to discuss leading a small project in order to develop my project coordination skills.’

A good starting point for a conversation could be: ‘I feel ready to develop X. I have found Y which could benefit the team. What would I need to show and how can this be made manageable?’

If speaking up feels difficult, see our guide to workplace confidence for a preparation approach.

Consider both responsibility and authority

Having responsibility without authority can cause frustration. Ask what decisions you can make independently and which decisions require approval. Also ask who will support you when the work requires colleagues outside of your team.

If you are leading other people then ensure that your role is clear. Are you organising information, assigning work or managing people? These are different types of responsibility. Do not assume that leading a project also gives you authority that has not been agreed.

Agree support and workload

Consider how your existing workload will be affected. For example, ‘I can take this on if the weekly report is moved to next month’ is more sustainable than simply increasing each working day without discussion. Estimate the amount of time required and revisit this when you have more information.

Agree training, systems and a person who can support your learning. Regular check-ins are particularly useful at the start of the opportunity. Requesting support does not mean that you are incapable but rather that you are planning to deliver the opportunity.

Discuss recognition without assuming a promise

Ask how this increased responsibility relates to expectations for the role, progression or review. Taking on a new responsibility does not automatically result in a pay increase, title change or promotion. Understanding the relationship will allow you to make an informed decision.

If there is a significant change to your role then ask about the arrangement and any policies that are in place. Employment and contract policies may vary depending on the country. Where necessary seek appropriate local advice. Do not use a general guide for career development to interpret your rights.

Use ‘not yet’ effectively

If you are not given a ‘yes’ then ask why this is. It could be due to capacity, timing or a specific readiness concern. Ask ‘What would you need to see before you would consider this?’ and ‘Is there a smaller opportunity that I can take on now?’

If the answer is conditional then agree a review date. Repeated delayed responses are also information. Consider another approach and see our guide to career options.

Make progress and learning visible

When the opportunity is in place share brief updates on progress, any risks and any decisions that need to be made. Flag problems as soon as they are encountered. During the review discuss what has been achieved and what has been learned, including what you would do differently.

Make a clear record of what has been done without holding any confidential information in a personal record. A successful increase in responsibility may be used as evidence in a development conversation. An imperfect one may still highlight a useful next step in learning.

Next steps

Create a five-line request for increased responsibility. In these lines describe the opportunity, its benefit to the team, the evidence of your readiness, the support you will need and the review date. Use this to start a conversation and then translate the agreement into a professional development plan. Clear boundaries will make the increased responsibility more useful to you and the team.

Read this article on its own ↗