They’ve heard “no” more times than they can count. They’ve been told they’re too late, too old, too ambitious. And yet, the 200 women featured in the fifth annual 50 Over 50 list by Forbes are proving, with extraordinary clarity, that some of the most powerful breakthroughs in business, science, politics and art are being led by women who have already celebrated their 50th birthdays.
This year’s 50 Over 50 list is a portrait of what happens when experience, resilience and confidence intersect. These are women who are shaping the future while drawing on a lifetime of lived wisdom – entrepreneurs launching billion-dollar biotech companies, meteorologists preparing nations for climate disaster, CEOs rewriting the rules of retirement, and artists and activists using their platforms to provoke change.
As Mika Brzezinski, co-founder of the Know Your Value initiative and partner in the list’s creation, puts it: “This list has never been about reinvention. It’s about expansion – about women taking everything they’ve learned and using it to make their boldest impact yet.”
Transforming industries, one second act at a time
Among the standout names is Suma Krishnan, 60, an Indian-American biotech founder whose company Krystal Biotech is now worth over $4 billion. Her work on gene therapy is offering life-changing treatment options for rare diseases like cystic fibrosis and a severe skin disorder. “I came here as an immigrant when I was 20 years old to go to grad school, pretty poor with nothing,” she told Forbes. “I would never have imagined that I would have a drug approved with my own company, with my own IP—not in a million years. But I am a fighter, and if I have a will, I’ll make it happen.”
In Puerto Rico, Ada Monzón, 60, the island’s first female meteorologist, is a lifeline for three million residents during catastrophic hurricanes. In the finance world, Thasunda Brown Duckett, 52, CEO of TIAA, is focused on rewriting the playbook on retirement savings after watching her own father miss out on three decades of company contributions due to lack of access and awareness.
And Priscilla Almodovar, 58, has made history as the first woman to lead Fannie Mae. She is now one of the most powerful voices on housing affordability in the United States—an issue that continues to plague millions amid soaring interest rates and shrinking access to credit.
Powered by purpose, not permission
The women on this list are no strangers to being underestimated. Actress Halle Berry was warned not to take the role in Monster’s Ball—the one that won her an Oscar. She was later told to keep her health journey private. She ignored that advice too, and has since launched her own wellness business, opening up a new chapter as an entrepreneur.
Alice Wong, born with spinal muscular atrophy and told she wouldn’t survive into adulthood, founded the Disability Visibility Project and was awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2024.
Their shared thread? They are not waiting for permission. As Chéri Smith, 56, founder of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, put it: “Being over 50 has given me superpowers. It has sharpened my focus and deepened my resolve. I move with understanding and purpose, not fear.”
The fierce urgency of now
Each of the 200 women selected for this year’s list rose through a rigorous, months-long vetting process that began with thousands of public nominations. They were chosen not for fame or wealth, but for measurable impact — people making life better for others, building companies that change lives, or reshaping systems that no longer serve the present.
Climate change, health equity, economic inclusion—these aren’t abstract ideas for the women on this list. They are pressing realities. “This work is bold, urgent, and absolutely not for the faint of heart,” says Smith.
Or, in the words of Halle Berry, who has broken 10 bones filming and is now taking on the equally unforgiving world of business: “Fighting is in my blood. I’m not afraid of fighting. It doesn’t scare me one bit.”
The fifth edition of 50 Over 50 doesn’t just challenge the myth of decline, it dismantles it completely. These women aren’t reinventing themselves. They’re building what they’ve been preparing for their whole lives.
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