Once the researchers had identified these 355 companies, the largest in Africa, they then searched the public information available on the management teams of these companies.  In order to qualify for the List, women had to have a CEO or managing director title at the head of one of these companies. The titles were then vetted further by examining where the women fit within the company’s overall organizational structure to ensure that the women truly hold authority that is consistent with their title.  

In addition to the women selected through the process above, the analysis went on to identify two additional groups of women running Corporate Africa.  One additional group of women are those who run very large divisions of these same 355 listed companies, such that their division if spun out, would qualify for the list with its own divisional market cap of at least $150 million USD.  The roles of the women running these divisions were vetted within the context of the company’s organizational structure – the title alone was not sufficient to make the list.  The women in this group have profit and loss responsibility for a revenue-generating division that would be valued at $150 million or more.

Lastly, women who run an African region or country for a global corporation listed on an international stock exchange were then identified.  To qualify for this group, only international companies with a market cap of $50 billion or more are included.  The women running these businesses range from those who run a country, such as Kenya or Nigeria, to those who run all of sub-Saharan Africa for these global behemoths.