These Virginia CEOs rank among world’s most powerful women

Three Virginia-based CEOs once again made Fortune‘s list of the world’s 100 Most Powerful Women in business for 2026, the publication announced this week.

Accenture Chair and CEO Julie Sweet landed at No. 4 this year, down two spots from last year, when she was at No. 2. CEO of the Global Fortune 500 professional services and tech consulting firm since 2019 and chair since 2021, Sweet was previously Accenture’s North American CEO from 2015 to 2019. She works between offices in Arlington County and Bethesda, Maryland.

According to Fortune, Accenture reported $69.7 billion in revenue for fiscal 2025, up about 7% year-over-year. This year, Sweet restructured parts of Accenture’s organization into one unit, and although the reorganization called for staff cuts, Accenture is simultaneously growing its workforce of more than 780,000 employees. The company also has embraced artificial intelligence to provide faster services, Fortune notes.

As for the other Virginia-based business leaders on the list, General Dynamics Chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic placed at No. 30 this year, up six spots from 2025. Fortune notes that the Reston-based defense giant in 2019 landed the Navy’s largest ever contract, a deal now worth up to $24.2 billion, to build nuclear submarines at the company’s Electric Boat subsidiary. Earlier this year, Novakovic was named chair of the Aerospace Industries Association’s board.

At No. 72 on this year’s list of the world’s most powerful women business leaders is Northrop Grumman Chair, CEO and President Kathy Warden, who fell four spots from last year’s ranking and has dropped 47 places since 2024. While Fortune noted in 2025’s rankings that Falls Church-based NG had “faced some difficulties,” including recent losses on its stealth bomber production due to inflation, the defense contractor closed 2025 on an upswing, with $42 billion in revenue and a record $95.7 billion backlog. Also, Fortune noted that Warden has “become a prominent voice on Capitol Hill, testifying before Congress on government acquisition reform and advising cabinet officials on manufacturing capacity.”

Dropping off the list is Toni Townes-Whitley, who was ranked at No. 82 as CEO of Reston-based Science Applications International Co. (SAIC) on the 2025 list. In October 2025, however, she parted ways with SAIC. Jim Reagan, former Leidos chief financial officer, became interim CEO upon her departure and was named its permanent chief executive in February.

Fortune’s top-ranked most powerful woman business leader for 2026 is Citigroup Chair and CEO Jane Fraser.