The Female Quotient (The FQ), an experience and media company advancing gender equality in the workplace, is proud to announce its inclusion in Fast Company’s fourth annual Brands That Matter list as a benchmark brand. The list honors brands and individuals that do not merely create customers, they resonate with individuals and communities in a profound way. Through captivating branding and marketing efforts, these companies and nonprofits have established relevance and impact on culture. The full list can be found on fastcompany.com and in the upcoming Winter print edition on newsstands beginning December 17, 2024.
This year’s list includes large international organizations, small-but-mighty companies, and nonprofits, and highlights 119 brands and 10 CMOs of the Year that inspire genuine engagement and loyalty from their consumers—and influence new adopters to buy in. Every brand included has found an ability to forge an emotional connection with customers, whether leading on the environment or pop culture, engaging B2B customers, or responding meaningfully to current events.
“We’re honored to be recognized by Fast Company as a Brand That Matters. We are proud of our partners who also made this list—together we change the equation and close the gender gap in the workplace,” said Shelley Zalis, founder and CEO of The Female Quotient. “This recognition reflects the power of the FQ—the power of women. With the largest global community of women in business we ignite bold conversations, elevate remarkable women and drive transformative change.”
Over the last year, The Female Quotient has found new ways to profoundly connect with its community that has grown more than 400% year over year to 6 million women in business globally across every industry and sees engagement rates of 5x to 7x industry averages. Beyond the signature Equality Lounge® found at all major business conferences, The FQ officially launched a media business and debuted The FQ Newsletter. In addition, The FQ became the first female-founded media and experiential brand to collaborate with F1 ACADEMY® to support the next generation of female talent, brought the Equality Lounge to the Summer Olympics for the first time, hosted an inaugural Women in AI Summit, and took over Times Square on International Day of the Girl with a first-of-it’s-kind mentoring event and billboard campaign.
“In a world where 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, we want to shout from the rooftops that approximately 30% of Fast Company’s Brands That Matter benchmark brands have women CEOs—and that grows to 40% when adding the companies with female founders or co-founders,” said Caroline Dettman, chief marketing and creative officer at The Female Quotient. “As women, these leaders share a lived experience as a part of the coveted consumer audience who control 80 percent of the purchase power. This isn’t only a Brands That Matter list—it's a power list too.”
Fast Company’s Brands that Matter awards are open to companies of any size, from multinational corporations to small businesses. Applications are judged on their emotional resonance, cultural significance, timeliness, clarity, and originality.
"We're so proud to award such a wide variety of honorees this year and shine a spotlight on leading marketing executives," said Brendan Vaughan, Fast Company editor-in-chief. "The thread that binds brands like Arc'teryx, Tony's Chocolonely, and the NFL together is their commitment and creativity in how they build connections with audiences through cultural relevance."
For more information or to view the complete list of honorees, visit fastcompany.com/brands-that-matter/list.
About The Female Quotient
The Female Quotient (The FQ) is an experiences, media, and transformation company advancing equality in the workplace. With the largest global community of women in business, The FQ creates visibility and connections for women and conscious leaders at a global scale across every industry. The FQ’s signature Equality Lounge® has changed the business agenda at tentpole industry conferences including CES, Davos, Cannes Lions, and more. Together with our partners, our mission is to change the equation and close the gender gap. For more on how to partner with The FQ and to join our community, please visit www.thefemalequotient.com and follow @femalequotient on Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Brendan Vaughan. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com.
