Sherry Phillips is breaking barriers and making history. This month, Forbes Media announced that Phillips, the company’s chief revenue officer, will be promoted to chief executive officer, becoming the first female CEO in Forbes’ 107-year history. After seven years as CEO, Mike Federle is stepping down at the end of the year and will continue to serve as a strategic advisor to the company’s leadership team and board.
Why is it so important to you and the company to spotlight women over 50? Phillips: I feel like Mika Brzezinski talks about this every day, and it’s such an important point — that you can start your career at 50. You can start at 60. You can start it at 70. We have women on the list who are in their 80s, and I think it’s really important to acknowledge that there’s no timeline. There’s no start date. There’s no finish date, so I love that.