Carol Tomé

Would you leave retirement to run a company in its worst crisis ever? She did.

Carol B. Tomé made history as the first woman and first outsider to become CEO of UPS in its 118-year history.

But she didn’t take the job for the title.

She took it because Arthur Blank told her, “We’ll give you every opportunity to reach your highest potential.”

She said yes and walked straight into a global pandemic.

It was June 2020.

Covid had just shut down the world.

Her first 100 days?

Protect 500,000 workers.

Deliver vaccines.

Prepare for the holiday surge.

UPS was on the brink and Carol led it through, hiring 45,000 new employees in one quarter to keep things running.

Before UPS, Carol spent 24 years at The Home Depot, 18 of them as CFO.

She helped grow it from 400 to 2,200 stores, and took revenue to $100B.

When she left, its stock had risen over 450%.

She retired to her Georgia farm until UPS came calling.

And she didn’t just steady the ship.

She transformed it.

Under her leadership, UPS set a bold new purpose: moving our world forward by delivering what matters.

That meant investing in AI, cutting carbon emissions by 8% in one year, and committing to full carbon neutrality by 2050.

She’s also unapologetically herself.

Born in Jackson, Wyoming, Carol learned to hunt, fish, and sew before she learned to lead.

Her father was a banker.

She thought she’d follow in his footsteps... until she realized she could chart her own.

Her advice to the next generation? “Be you but be really good at what you do.”