Throughout Southern California, female leaders of industry are taking the professional world by storm. Powerful role models, these women in business have risen to the top of their career fields through hard work, grit and determination. 

No matter your gender, the following stories of achieved dreams and the roads that led them there will serve as inspiration in a time where motivation may feel stagnant. While success may be hard-won, these 13 incredible women prove that the endeavor to do so is always worth the effort. 

Here are L.A. Weekly’s Top Women in Business 2020: 

Jessica Hall – Entrepreneur, Influencer, Podcaster
Neferteri Plessy – Founder of Elevated Strategist
Diana Madison – CEO of Diana Madison Beauty
Lynn Jochim – Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of FivePoint Holdings, LLC
Jennifer Schwab Wangers – Founder and CEO of ENTITY Academy
Lesley Brog – Founder and CEO of Wags and Walks
Meg Gill – Founder of Golden Road Brewing
Cheryl Osborn – President and Founder of Casco Contractors
Barbara Johnson Bechthold – Vice President of Administration for Clean Energy
Lynne Foose – Vice President and Corporate Financial Officer for Foose Design
Lisa Chiya – President of the Genesis Group
Nicole Leal – Founder of Sunday School – Education for Hairstylists
Andrea Matiauda – General Counsel at Calnetix Technologies

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