15 Highest-Paid Women CEOs in the World in 2026: Compensations & Packages

7. Adena Friedman — Nasdaq

Country: United States

Designation: Chair & CEO

2025 Total Compensation: $25.0 million

Adena Friedman has been the CEO of Nasdaq since 2017 and was made the Chair of its Board in 2023.

Friedman's compensation in 2025 amounted to $25 million, making her one of the highest-compensated female CEOs.

It has been crucial for Friedman to transform Nasdaq from what was initially known as a stock exchange. Nasdaq has diversified into a financial technology portfolio including market infrastructure, data, analytics and anti-financial crime technologies.

Prior to becoming the CEO of Nasdaq, Friedman had worked at Nasdaq for more than a decade and was also the CFO and Managing Director at The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm.

Friedman's leadership is indicative of the growing connection between financial markets and technology, where exchanges are now not just markets but technology and data companies as well.

8. Gail Boudreaux — Elevance Health

Country: United States

Designation: President & CEO

2025 Total Compensation: $22.6 million

Gail Boudreaux has been serving as the chief executive officer of Elevance Health from 2017 and is one of the most high-profile female executives in the US healthcare sector.

Her total compensation package in 2025 was estimated to be about $22.6 million.

Elevance Health operates in both health insurance and healthcare services, and thus the position that Gail holds is extremely important, as the company is confronted with issues of rising cost of healthcare, changing healthcare demands, and increasing technology use.

Prior to joining Elevance Health, Boudreaux worked as the CEO of UnitedHealthcare and also held senior-level positions in Health Care Service Corporation.

Throughout her career, she has been working mainly in the healthcare field.

9. Jennifer Rumsey — Cummins

Country: United States

Designation: Chair & CEO

2025 Total Compensation: $19.9 million

Jennifer Rumsey is the head of Cummins, a global company specialized in the manufacture of power generation and engine technologies.

Rumsey became the company’s President and CEO in August 2022 and got the Chair role in 2023. She joined Cummins more than 20 years ago and held a series of roles in engineering, technology and leadership at the company.

In 2025, her total remuneration is around $19.9 million.

Cummins is facing an extensive period of change due to its transition into the world of lower-carbon technologies for the transportation and industrial sectors. The company operates using different power technologies, including diesel, natural gas, battery-electric and fuel-cell among others.

The engineering background of Rumsey is particularly pertinent to this change.