Top 10: CEOs in North America

According to the 2026 KPMG US CEO Outlook Pulse Survey, strategic investments in AI and ambitious merger and acquisition plans are proving to be priority areas for growth among North American CEOs, despite ongoing economic uncertainty.

CEOs continue to face a diverse risk environment in 2026, heavily shaped by economic and geopolitical pressures like supply chain challenges amid global conflicts and technological disruptions such as consumer and industry demand for AI automation.

The report cites several areas offering both challenges and growth in the US region, in particular areas like AI technologies to upskill workforces and accelerate innovation, despite 77% of CEOs believing GenAI may have been overhyped since the past year.

It also highlights how more than one in five CEOs expect a reduction in talent and workforce in 2026 – with 9% attributing it to AI – and 91% are concerned over data and privacy risks associated with the deployment of AI agents.

In this week’s list, we look at how CEOs across the North American region are handling these developments and challenges, while achieving growth in their respective industries.

10. Lisa Su

Company: AMD
Revenue: US$34.6bn
Location: Santa Clara, California

As Chair and CEO, Lisa Su has established AMD as an adaptive computing leader during an age of accelerated demand for compute and AI capabilities.

Prior to serving as company CEO, Lisa acted as COO and oversaw the integration of AMD’s business units, sales, global operations and infrastructure enablement teams into a single market-facing organisation responsible for product strategy and execution.

She believes the company is at its best when it takes bold, calculated risks and continues its goal of producing leading-edge technologies to change the world.

9. Brian Niccol

Company: Starbucks
Revenue: US$37.18bn
Location: Seattle, Washington

Brian joined Starbucks as Chair and CEO in September 2024 after leading Chipotle through an extensive period of growth and transformation.

His time at Chipotle informed his approach to Starbucks’s pioneering digital innovations, its exploration of new food and beverage offerings and its focus on international development.

Brian has a proven track record of driving innovation, building culturally relevant brands and ensuring operational consistency across all franchises. He is often recognised in the industry for his focus on upholding strong and creative company values.

8. Corie Barry

Company: Best Buy
Revenue: US$41.5bn
Location: Richfield, Minnesota

As CEO, Corie leads more than 80,000 employees across Best Buy’s US$42bn international operation.

Before leading the company, she played a key role in Best Buy strategies like its Building the New Blue growth plan, a strategy designed to improve areas and fix outlying issues within the customer experience.

She also served as the company’s CFO and strategic transformation officer, overseeing strategic transformation and growth, digital and technology, global finance, investor relations, enterprise risk and compliance, integration management and Best Buy Health.

After seven years as CEO and 27 at Best Buy, Corie is the second-longest tenured CEO in company history.

7. Elliott Hill

Company: Nike
Revenue: US$46.3bn
Location: Beaverton, Oregon

Elliott is a leader whose approach is informed by his strong entrepreneurial drive, connection to consumer culture and passion for Nike’s portfolio of brands.

Following 32 years at the company across several senior leadership positions in Europe and North America, he has been instrumental in helping the business grow to more than US$40bn in annual revenue.

Elliott first began his career as an assistant athletic trainer with the Dallas Cowboys before joining Nike. To this day, he still plays an active role in supporting communities across Portland and Bend, Oregon; and Austin, Texas.

6. Henrique Braun

Company: The Coca-Cola Company
Revenue: US$47.94bn
Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Henrique has worked in a variety of leadership roles across The Coca-Cola Company, beginning as a Vice President of Innovation and Operations in Brazil for the brand in 1996.

Over the course of his career, he has progressed through roles of increasing responsibilities in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, including in supply chain, new business development, marketing, innovation, general management and bottling operations.

Henrique’s approach is informed by his deep understanding of today’s marketplace, which regularly sees demand for new products and ideas from global consumers.

5. Carol Tomé

Company: UPS
Revenue: US$91.07bn
Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Carole has served as CEO for UPS since 2020, overseeing the organisation’s 490,000-employee base and acting a key player in the company’s Customer First, People Led and Innovation Driven strategy.

During her time at the company, she has strengthened network capabilities and supply chain infrastructure to meet the needs of customers and helped boost B2B profitability while enhancing UPS’s place in the growing healthcare logistics sector.

Prior to the CEO role, Carol served as Home Depot’s CFO for nearly two decades where she built a deep understanding of logistics and corporate finance and helped steer the company through challenges like the 2008 financial recession.

4. Michael Fiddelke

Company: Target
Revenue: US$104bn
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

As CEO, Michael’s strategic vision for the company is focused on driving long-term growth, leading with merchandising authority, elevating the guest experience and strengthening teams and communities.

Beginning at Target as an intern in 2003, Michael has more than two decades of experience of the brand, holding leadership positions in finance, merchandising, human resources and operations.

Michael has recently enacted company-wide changes to reshape how Target functions, strengthening the company’s place in the retail market, positioning it to better serve its guests and is exploring new technologies to enhance the customer and employee experience.

3. Mary Barra

Company: General Motors
Revenue: US$185bn
Location: Detroit, Michigan

Mary has served as General Motors’s CEO since 2014. Under her leadership the company has focused on delivering innovative vehicle products and value to both customers and shareholders.

Beginning her career with the company in 1980, she started out as co-op student and worked her way up the General Motors hierarchy, serving in roles like Vice President of Global Human Resources and Executive Vice President of Global Product Development.

Mary’s recent strategies include providing the brand with transformative technologies such as electrification, software, and personal autonomous driving.

2. Ron Vachris

Company: Costco
Revenue: US$275bn
Location: Issaquah, Washington

Ron has served as CEO since January 2024 and has 28 years’ experience in Costco's operations. This experience is informed by his time in leadership roles such as COO, Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development.

Beginning as a part-time forklift driver for Costco’s predecessor, Price Club, he spent the following two decades working across several management positions, developing his skills as a leader and as a driver of company growth.

Ron believes that Costco’s success is down to its workers’ wellbeing, highlighting the importance of hiring passionate individuals, offering good wages and providing people with opportunities for career advancement.

1. Satya Nadella

Company: Microsoft
Revenue: US$281.7bn
Location: Redmond, Washington

Prior to being named CEO in February 2014, Satya held leadership positions in both enterprise and consumer businesses across Microsoft.

Joining the company in 1992, he quickly became known as a leader who could understand both technology and business strategies, which saw him transform of some of Microsoft’s largest product offerings.

Most recently, Satya served as the company’s Executive Vice President, where he oversaw the transformation of the company’s cloud infrastructure and services business, which outperformed the market and took share from competition.

Satya believes in the importance of company culture and suggests that innovation can only be achieved through an empathic mindset.