Women to watch in 2025

Bonnie Brennan, CEO, Christie's

With over 25 years of experience in the auction business, Brennan was recently appointed as CEO of Christie’s. Brennan has overseen record-breaking sales throughout her career, including the collections of Ann and Gordon Getty. As the company’s new leader, she is committed to harnessing digital innovation and technology in the auction space while continuing to maintain Christie’s heritage.

What values most impact how you spend your time, be it at home or at work?

Three immediately come to mind: 

• Authenticity: Lean into your real self. You have the best chance to excel and to find happiness if you listen to what motivates you and brings you joy. I loved art from a very young age, and I was blessed to have family who supported that passion every step of the way.  
• Teamwork: I am an extrovert who thrives when I am surrounded by other people, at work and in my personal life. I love building teams at work, and in my free time my favorite activity is gathering friends together. I am so lucky that I have the gift of working in the auction world where art and people are the core of our business.
• Service: I work in a client service industry, so this is an easy one at work. We always put the client first. I also believe strongly in the power and importance of mentorship – investing in the next generation, particularly women. I work for a brand with an incredible legacy, and the responsibility is ours to teach the next generation of leaders and ensure that the legacy of Christie’s remains strong. We have all had great teachers in life, at school, and at work. Each of us must return the favor and pass along guidance and support to those who come behind us. In my personal life, I feel deeply gratified when I can help others and support causes that bring positive change to the world. It is a privilege and a responsibility that also has the benefit of bringing me sincere joy. It is also a great way to stay centered and remember what matters in life. 

What is the most energizing aspect of your work today?

The passion that is present in every aspect of this business. At its heart, collecting is about passion, and our job is to support that passion and connect people to what they love. It is such a rush to meet clients and hear the stories of their collecting journeys. To be entrusted with these objects and to tell the stories that write the next chapter for those objects are both great privileges that my colleagues and I take seriously. Similarly, one of the greatest parts of my job is to hear my colleagues speak passionately about an object, whether it be a work of art, book, archival document, rare handbag, watch, or piece of furniture. To then witness the Christie’s team work together to deliver for the clients and make magic happen, that is one of the best parts of working for Christie’s.

In my role of CEO, I also love listening to the next generation – what excites them? What directions should we explore? I learn from my colleagues every day. As leaders, we have to be good listeners to all generations at work so that we can maintain and grow relevancy with the next generation of clients for Christie’s.

Adela Cepeda, Founder, Angeles Investors

Cepeda is a business leader with more than 40 years of finance experience. She serves on the boards of UBS Funds and the Pathway Mutual Funds and is the director of BMO Financial. In addition to her impressive financial experience, Cepeda is deeply involved in the Chicago community. She is a member of the Chicago Housing Authority and chairs Angeles Ventures, a venture capital firm that funds and grows Hispanic and Latino ventures.

What is the most energizing aspect of your work today?

As chair and co-founder of Angeles Investors, I am energized by the mission of helping to close the wealth gap that so many Latinos face. Now over 500 members strong, Angeles Investors aims to do this by finding, funding, and growing the best startups in America! We are determined to succeed.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Staying focused on finance and capital markets was great advice that I was lucky enough to follow. While I may have missed exploring other fields, the expertise developed in my field is a huge competitive edge in the long run. That is the advice I would give younger professionals as well.

Allison Young Chavez, Co-Founder, Sweet Paris Creperie & Cafe

Chavez is the co-founder of Sweet Paris Creperie & Café, a crepe shop chain based out of Texas. With women comprising 70% of the company’s workforce and eight holding executive positions, she is committed to fostering female leadership. Chavez is a strong advocate of supporting children in need through the company’s “Eat Here, Feed There” program.

What is the most energizing aspect of your work today?

The most energizing aspect of my work today is further empowering our team members through Sweet Paris’ expansion. Our corporate growth continues to create many opportunities for their professional growth. As we’ve topped 20 stores, one of our original dishwashers has become a top-performing manager; a Houston shift leader moved to open and manage our Florida market; and a corporate employee has become a business owner – a Sweet Paris franchisee! Maintaining a familial culture helps us continue to attract these motivated individuals who see the potential for themselves and our company in the same goal.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry right now?

It's not news that the food industry has been pressed with rising costs over the last couple of years, but the start of 2025 has been met with some palpable consumer hesitation. A constant barrage of political news and natural disasters has put pressure on foot traffic. I believe the way we confront periods of higher discretion is by delivering a unique experience. We value each Sweet Paris customer who chooses to spend their time and resources, and we aim to serve a memorable ambience and accessible menu.

Charlotte Cruze and Lindsay Goodstein, Co-Founders, Alice Mushrooms

Alice Mushrooms combines chocolate with functional mushrooms, such as lion’s mane, cordyceps, and reishi, to provide a sweet treat of nootropics and adaptogens. Goodstein, a former pharmaceutical executive, and Cruze, a media expert and food scholar, were tired of the usual pill, powder, and gummy supplement forms. The two teamed up to create a chocolate that can become a part of a daily wellness routine.

What wellness habits do you plan to lean into this year?

Cruze: Not letting myself ignore my own wellness is No. 1. Even when you have a wellness business, it’s very easy to not take care of yourself! This year, I set the goal of running the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May. Setting that external goal with a clear deadline has forced me to prioritize my own health and self-care.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Cruze: Trust yourself – you are going to figure it out. I spent so many years worried I was never going to get where I wanted to go, and I wish that I could tell my younger self to trust that I would get here. That would probably add a few years back onto my life.

What is the most energizing aspect of your work today?

Goodstein: Building something that people genuinely love. Seeing someone light up when they try Alice for the first time or hearing how it’s become part of their routine – it never gets old. Right now, I’m also really excited about our HBO Max collaboration for “The Last of Us” Season 2. It’s the perfect blend of pop culture, storytelling, and product innovation, which is exactly the kind of work that fuels me.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry right now?

Goodstein: Education and quality of sourcing. The functional mushroom space is growing fast, but there’s still a lot of companies trying to capitalize without taking the necessary steps in sourcing quality. We’re constantly working to bridge that gap – making science digestible, cutting through the noise, and ensuring our products deliver real benefits, sourced with the highest standards in mind.

Allie K. Miller, CEO of Open Machine, Fortune 500 AI Advisor

Miller is the CEO of Open Machine and an industry leading-advisor working with companies such as Novartis, Samsung, Salesforce, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. With nearly 2 million LinkedIn followers, Miller is also the most-followed voice on artificial intelligence (AI) business. Previously, Miller built and led a multibillion-dollar business at Amazon as the Global Head of Machine Learning for Startups and Venture Capital at AWS, launched the first multimodal AI team at IBM, shaped national AI strategies, and taught AI as an instructor on MasterClass. Miller’s insights on AI have been featured in Forbes, Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and more.

What values most impact how you spend your time, be it at home or at work?

Most readers will have heard the quote: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” But here’s what I think most people miss: the sixth is AI.

AI is changing how we define intelligence and pushing the boundaries of human potential. And that needs to be a proactive decision, because the things we invest in and give our attention to are the things we become. And technology is no exception.

People these days are spending hours with their favorite AI systems – picking the right voice, chatting with it like a thoughtful partner, and sharing personal stories so their AI buddy can pick up on their quirks and preferences just a bit more.

Whether I’m using AI dictation in Lovable to build personal software hands-free, Claude Artifacts to create entire games while waiting for the subway, or ChatGPT to help me find my missing camera lens, I am constantly asking myself how and why we shape the world around us – and how AI is now shaping it with or against us.

What is the most energizing aspect of your work today?

We are watching the pace of change shift and accelerate in real time. AI model training went from costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2018, to millions in 2020, to billions in 2024. Just in the last year or so, we saw the performance of AI systems go from “random guessing”-level scores on Ph.D. exams to outperforming a Ph.D. We are witnessing business models, organizational structures, and market dynamics transform like organisms, right in front of our eyes.

Now, for many, that would cause acid reflux. But I find it magnetic.

I’m lucky enough to have started in AI nearly 20 years ago and currently advise Fortune 500 clients, partner with incredible nonprofits, challenge and guide millions of business professionals online, and develop products and solutions that shape the future of AI. It’s like standing at the blueprint table of the next century, and all we’ve been handed is an Allen wrench.

Lucky for me, I've always loved impossible puzzles.

Alexandra Reeve Givens, President and CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology

Givens is the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, a nonprofit organization that advocates for civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. Previously, she served as the founding executive director of the Institute for Technology Law & Policy at Georgetown Law and worked in the U.S. Senate as chief counsel for the Judiciary Committee, with a focus on technology and privacy issues. While technology continues to drive our world today, Givens is committed to ensuring that these emerging innovations advance human rights and democracy as well.

What values most impact how you spend your time, be it at home or at work?

I live life with immense gratitude, and I suppose a sense of urgency to make the most of the time we’re given. When I was 11, my father (the actor Christopher Reeve) had a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. His life changed forever, but he lived more fully in the next nine years than many people do in a lifetime. My brothers and I learned at a young age to appreciate what really matters: being there for the people you love, finding and creating joy at every opportunity, and – whether your actions are big or small – leaving the world even a slightly better place because you were in it.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry right now?

At this seismic time in our political landscape, we’re working overtime to ensure U.S. consumers, workers, families, and voters are protected. Significant changes at the government agencies charged with protecting Americans’ safety and constitutional rights will have effects for years to come. As technology plays an ever-more central role in our lives, how can we ensure tech is developed and used in a way that truly works for people? We’re making the case that responsible practices and a well-functioning government serve everyone – consumers and businesses alike.

Ripley Rader, Founder, Ripley Rader

Rader launched her namesake fashion brand in 2013 with a jumpsuit and a dream. Fast-forward to today, and Ripley Rader has exploded into a popular women’s fashion brand made for those of all ages and sizes. The Los Angeles-based brand is made entirely in the United States and remains steadfast to its core values.

What values most impact how you spend your time, be it at home or at work?

I value owning my time. It's why I believe we, as entrepreneurs, show up every day to face the unknown with everything on the line. It's a powerful thing to decide how I spend both my professional and personal life. My mission and values mold every single thing about how my company runs. I'm determined to keep jobs in my community, support diversity and inclusion, and show young women that a female-run business (one that runs itself differently than corporate America as we know it) can be as much or more successful than its predecessors. I'm out to show young women that thoughtful leadership can create impressive empires.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell myself that what I already know and understand is powerful. To not let the world beat me down or question anything in my gut. To take up as much space as possible and to not let myself be overshadowed by anyone. To lean into the power within myself and to go boldly into the world. To never “calm down.” To raise my voice when necessary and be heard. To be a leader for other young women and not be afraid to use my voice. To remind myself again and again that I belong in the room where it happens.

Gayatri Sarkar, Founder and CEO, Advaita Capital

Sarkar is the owner of Advaita Capital, one of the few U.S. growth venture capital funds owned by a woman of color. She invests in generative AI, deep tech, and decarbonization efforts. Sarkar was named a global leader under 40 for championing more than $100 billion in combined capital in gender advocacy.

What is the most energizing aspect of your work today?

At a particular juncture in one’s professional journey, the emphasis should shift from financial gain to the broader influence one can exert. As a woman and mother, I serve as the CEO of my household while also holding the roles of CEO and founder of a growth investment firm. My priority lies in the time value of impact, directing my investment endeavors toward advancing science and innovation, thereby leaving a lasting legacy to propel humanity toward achieving the status of a Type 1 civilization. This inspires me to rise each morning with enthusiasm, eager to embark on my workday. Venture capital is not a career – it is a lifestyle.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry right now?

Women currently possess limited control and access to capital, which is intricately tied to the formulation of policy. To amplify their voices and influence, women must strategically accumulate greater capital and resources.

Joey Wolffer, Co-Owner, Wolffer Estate Vineyard

Wolffer and her brother, Marc Wolffer, took over her father’s vineyard in 2010, and under their leadership, Wolffer wines have grown to a household name. While their Summer in a Bottle rosé is popular among wine drinkers – and is the fastest-growing rosé in New York City – the company has also turned its attention to growing consumer appetite for nonalcoholic options, recently releasing Spring in a Bottle, a sparkling nonalcoholic rosé. Always the multitasker, Wolffer also finds time outside running the winery for equestrianism, fashion design, and her Sag Harbor store.

What wellness habits do you plan to lean into this year?

The current global climate has made it challenging for me to stay focused. As a human, I am devastated by the suffering all over the world. I have made an agreement with myself to focus on what I can control in my work, in my family, and in my volunteer work. I am committed to helping my community with organizations such as The Bridgehampton Center and my local group of Moms Demand Action. I am also helping my friends with their organizations – particularly, Lauren Bush Lauren with FEED Projects. We are working to raise funds to help secure school lunches in public schools.

What advice would you give your younger self?

The best advice I would give to my younger self is that all the insecurities and obstacles you face in your teens and 20s are only creating the woman and the leader you will be in your 30s and 40s. I have a resilience and an ability to keep on evolving that I would not have had if I had not suffered in my younger years. There is no straight path in life – only zigzags that continue to create the person who you are. How you handle the diversions is what makes you successful.