Good morning, Broadsheet readers! PG&E’s CEO faces major obstacles, Dr. Catalin Carrico says she’s one of two scientists to win a Nobel Prize and only the second Black woman on the Fortune 500 The CEO is born again. Have a great Thursday!
– A dynamic duo. This week, Toni Towns-Whitley was named CEO of Science Applications International, a Virginia-based Fortune 500 technology company that supports government agencies, intelligence agencies, and the Department of Defense. .
Her appointment makes Townes-Whitley one of only two Black women currently serving as CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The timing is notable. During September, TIAA CEO Sassunda Brown Duckett became the only Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, following the departure of Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer. stood alone. With Towns-Whitley hired by SAIC, Duckett is no longer the only one among a small group of 52 female CEOs at the head of a Fortune 500 company.
Not only that, but SAIC achieved a rare transition from a female CEO to a female CEO, with Townes Whitley taking over from former SAIC chief Nazik Keene. Townes-Whitley’s hiring was announced in May, and she was named the company’s “next CEO” in June.
Mike Coppola—Getty Images
Townes Whiteley I spoke with Stephanie Mehta. fast company On the importance of her new role.
“Just a few days ago, I was with the other woman in the duo,” she said of Duckett. “And we were talking about how it matters how you show up and there’s a bigger pipeline into these roles.”
“This is an opportunity for me not only as a woman, but as an African American woman,” she added. “There has never been an African American woman as the CEO of a national security department. But if you look at our nation’s security forces, they are very diverse. We have to ask ourselves, why aren’t we building that pipeline, both at the enterprise scale?”
Prior to joining SAIC, Mr. Towns-Whitley served as Microsoft’s president of U.S. Regulated Industries, where he posted earnings of $11 billion.
SAIC is smaller, with annual sales of $7.7 billion and ranks No. 479 on the Fortune 500. Townes Whitley believes SAIC is undervalued. She aims to better articulate the differentiated value proposition and define the brand.
She will likely do this with more attention than public sector-focused technology businesses typically get.
“Like me and others, we have to participate,” she says of her visibility. “We have to prove that we can do this. We can grow the business, we understand the top line, the bottom line and all the pressures from shareholders and we can deliver. And I think the more that happens, the more we’ll start to see some changes.”
emma hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
@_Emma Hinchliffe
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Also featured in the headline
– Nobel Prize for Novel Studies. Dr. Catalin Carrico was one of two scientists who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine yesterday for their work on mRNA vaccine technology that led to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. Carrico is the 13th woman to receive this award, and she toiled through her exhausting research years without a permanent academic position or funding. new york times
– Fireplan Fringe. Patti Poppe, CEO of utility company PG&E, is in a last-ditch battle with California regulators to save the company’s $5.9 billion plan to bury nearly 3,000 miles of power lines. It’s in full swing. The plan became a key objective for Mr. Poppe, who took over PG&E after the company’s above-ground power lines sparked devastating wildfires in California, but regulators said the plan would require large customer outlays. We would like to reduce this. wall street journal
– X x Hilton. Company X has commissioned Paris Hilton and her advertising agency 11:11 Media to create original video content on social media platforms as CEO Linda Yaccarino looks for new revenue streams. Announced. Hilton and her company plan to produce four videos in 2020 for the platform, which fuses beauty, fashion and other topics with her X Live Shopping feature. financial times
– Fashion forward. Phoebe Philo’s return to the fashion world has been highly anticipated since her departure from Celine in 2017. Her new line is well under development, with support from major companies such as LVMH heiress and Dior CEO Delphine Arnault, and she is nearing her October 30th debut. pack
– Power player. This year’s american banker list of most powerful women in finance and banking industry They include JPMorgan Chase Asset & Wealth Management CEO Mary Callahan Erdoes, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, and Fidelity CEO Abigail Johnson.
Mover and shaker: Bumble Co., Ltd. Added Sissy Xiao, a member of the Board of Directors, serves as Vice President and General Manager of Google Assistant and Bard.Announcing Jump Start for toddlers crystal row tree As CEO. The name Foursquare kit krugman As senior vice president, he is responsible for people and culture. washington post appointed Anne Gerhart As deputy editor-in-chief, brianna tucker As deputy campaign editor.Roblox has been adopted Stephanie Latham Appointed as Vice President of Global Partnerships. The Society of Professional Journalists has pledged: Ashanti Blaise Hopkins As president.
on my radar
American corporate vandalism luck
How Katy Perry sparked a wave of housing bills semaphores
Why the “mother of the atomic bomb” did not win the Nobel Prize new york times
parting words
“What we’ve been through since 1975, the battles we’ve fought, the lessons we’ve learned are together. I am her and she is me. She is definitely my heart. I have.”
—Singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks, New sold out Barbie designed in her honor
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