Good morning, Broadsheet readers! The richest woman in the world, Alice Walton, is worth over $100 billion, NBC’s Hoda Kotb is stepping down from the Today show, and Fortune’s Ellie Austin explores the women-led and women-focused companies on this year’s Change the World list. Have a splendid weekend!
– Changemakers. Now in its tenth year, Fortune’s Change the World list spotlights companies that are committed to doing good while turning profit. The new edition of the list, published this week, features 52 businesses that, according to Fortune editors, harness “the creative impulses of capitalism to address social problems.” A number of these companies are women-led. Others aim to close the gender gap in different areas of society. Here are some highlights.
— Maven Clinic, the health care company founded and run by Kate Ryder, focuses on closing the health care gap for women and families. Since its launch 10 years ago, Maven has partnered with employers and health care plans to help its members get faster access to specialists in fields such as abortion care, maternal health, reproductive health, and fertility treatments. The company’s menopause care program reached more than 1 million people at 150 companies within weeks of its launch.
— Watching her own daughter struggle with remote learning during the pandemic led the child psychologist Elizabeth Adams to cofound Ello Technology, a company that leverages AI to provide one-on-one reading tutorials via a mobile or tablet app. Around 30,000 children have used the technology, many of them from lower-income households.
— Levi Strauss, run by CEO Michelle Gass, is championing the issue of voter turnout with nonpartisan initiatives. The first, launched with two other companies, helps workers vote without losing paid hours. The second aims to boost political engagement among community college students.
— Over the past year, Santander, the Spanish bank led by executive chairman Ana Botín granted almost $1.3 billion in microloans to entrepreneurs in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Peru who have limited access to mainstream financial services.
— With Zūm, founder and CEO Ritu Narayan, an Oracle alum and mother of four, is replacing high-polluting diesel fuel school buses with an all-electric fleet. The company currently serves around 4,000 schools across the country.
— Canada-based GreenShield is tackling the gender gap in mental health care access via a free tool that pairs women with professionals based on their care needs, as well as their culture, race, language and religion.
— Led by CEO Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech captures carbon emissions at factories and landfills before they enter the atmosphere. It then recycles them to make chemicals and fuels in a process that is more eco-friendly than using “virgin” carbons.
Read the full 2024 Change the World list here.
Ellie Austin
ellie.austin@fortune.com
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- $100 billion club. Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is now a centi-billionaire and the richest woman in the world, with a net worth of $101 billion. She and her two siblings join a group of 18 who have net worths greater than $100 billion. Fortune
- Saying goodbye. NBC Today show host Hoda Kotb is stepping down from the show in early 2025. Kotb has been on the show for 17 years and said that “it felt like the time to turn the page on what has been a dream book, a dream quarter-century.” New York Times
- On air. Melania Trump made her first interview appearance in over two years on Fox & Friends, promoting her soon-to-be-released memoir. She said that Democrats and the media are “fueling a toxic atmosphere,” one that empowers people looking to harm her husband. Another first: Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first solo interview since receiving the Democratic presidential nomination, discussing her pro-business economic plan. Washington Post
- Rejecting regulations. A federal judge in North Dakota is allowing over 8,000 Catholic employers to reject regulations enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which protects employees from receiving fertility care or seeking abortions. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was passed in December 2022. AP
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Bevi, a smart water cooler manufacturer, named Cathy Lewenberg as chief executive officer. Most recently, she was CEO of Drizly.
Acrisure, a fintech company, appointed Robin Benoit as chief people officer, after she served as interim chief people officer for the company.
Southern Company Gas appointed Shannon O. Pierce senior vice president of the company and president of Virginia Natural Gas. She previously served as vice president of strategy and chief administrative officer for Southern Company Gas’ Virginia natural gas subsidiary.
Liberty Mutual Insurance appointed Linda Mantia to the company’s board of directors. Most recently, Mantia was senior executive vice president and COO of Manulife Financial Corporation.
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CEO behind Sesame Street spills on dealing with polarizing topics Axios
Meet Barbara Jones, the ex-judge now policing Trump’s business moves Washington Post
The 900 lives of Tana Mongeau The Cut
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“You can't just address it by making sure there are more computer science classes that are inclusive of women in college. It literally starts from the first days of consciousness and reading.”
— Deena Shakir, general partner at venture capital firm Lux Capital, on why she wanted to write her children’s book, Leena Mo, CEO
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