Africa.com identifies top women CEOs for 2026

Africa.com has released its 2026 Definitive List of Women CEOs, a data-driven ranking based on Bloomberg data from African stock exchanges. The report identifies women leading some of the continent’s most valuable companies across sectors including banking, brewing, mining, insurance, and retail.

Mary Vilakazi, Group CEO of FirstRand, holds the top position for the second consecutive year. A significant milestone noted in the report is that women now lead the three most critical businesses within the FirstRand group: Vilakazi as Group CEO, Lytania Johnson at FNB, and Emrie Brown at RMB.

The ranking was compiled by screening more than 1,500 companies across all African stock exchanges to identify top executives at large listed businesses, as well as leaders of major divisions and African operations for global multinationals.