Africa.com unveils 2026 list of women CEOs

Africa.com has announced the 2026 Definitive List of Women CEOs, an annual independent ranking of women leading the continent’s largest companies. The list was compiled using Bloomberg data, screening over 1,500 companies across all African stock exchanges to identify female executives in top roles.

The 2026 edition covers various sectors, including banking, insurance, mining, industrials, consumer goods, healthcare, real estate, and telecommunications. The ranking features leaders from multiple nations, such as Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, and South Africa.

This year’s release highlights a significant milestone at FirstRand Group, where women lead all three core pillars for the first time in the company’s history. The leadership includes Mary Vilakazi as Group CEO and Lytania Johnson as CEO of FNB. The list categorizes leaders into three groups: chief executives of publicly traded companies, leaders of major divisions within large listed groups, and regional executives for global multinationals.