Top 10 Women Leaders from China - 2025

China has made transformational strides in providing opportunities for women, particularly in business and technology. Economic development and urbanization over the past few decades have unlocked a whole new landscape for women to step into leadership in all sorts of industries. Women’s participation in the business market in China currently rates among the highest in the world, and women today are an essential part of the drivers of innovation and growth.

The women leaders in China have grown consistently. Increasing opportunities for women to attain an education, government initiatives stimulating gender equality, and changing views by the public have given rise to more women in executive positions. The percentage of women leading entrepreneurial endeavors, senior positions, and making key decisions at state-owned enterprises and private companies is steadily increasing. Women, through venture capital funding and as company founders, have spearheaded innovation in e-Commerce, artificial intelligence, fintech, and telecommunications. Their leadership ensures agility, creativity, and resiliency in very competitive situations. Women leaders are also involved in sustainability and ethical governance work that will impact how businesses are aligned with global standards.

Chinese women leaders are altering the business landscape through increasing diversity, reimagining research and development, and embracing inclusive workplace cultures. Women's participation in leadership roles is already visible in potential impacts on a company's organizational performance, brand/ image and future state. Despite barriers including work-life balance and cultural/ expectational norms of women in the workplace, the participation of women in leadership roles is growing, having already received institutional support in the form of policy development addressing women and their networking opportunities, transforming women's roles for economic growth in China, and enhancing competitiveness both at home and abroad. Women's leadership is core to China's aim to move towards innovation-driven development and sustainable advancement.

In this issue, Global Woman Leader magazine brings a list of ‘Top 10 Women Leaders from China - 2025’, who are domineers of change in the corporate realm of the country. This list of ten leading and inspiring women is crafted by a team of CEOs, VCs, and the editorial board, delivering inspiring stories of their journey and the contributions & roles played by them in the creation and empowerment of an economically powerful nation.