With the exits of Apple’s Tim Cook and Dow’s Jim Fitterling, the Fortune 500 is losing two groundbreaking gay CEOs—leaving just one 

When Jim Fitterling of Dow and Tim Cook of Apple step down as CEOs in July and September respectively, the Fortune 500 will lose two widely respected leaders who led their companies through transformational eras. 

The exits of the two men, who both identify as gay, will also mark a dispiriting step backward for LGBTQ representation in the C‑suite. After September, there will be only one out LGBTQ chief executive left in the Fortune 500: Land O’ Lakes’ Beth Ford. It’s a reminder of how the highest echelons of corporate America remain largely straight, white, and male—and how difficult it is to maintain gains in representation.

Only three years ago, there were four LGBTQ CEOs when Macy’s was still led by Jeff Gennette, who stepped down in 2024. Outside of the Fortune 500, there have also been recent exits: Coty, the beauty products maker giant, saw its CEO Sue Nabi, a rare transgender executive, leave her job late last year. 

Other historically underrepresented groups in the C-suite have also seen only modest gains in representation. There are 11 Black CEOs and 22 women CEOs among........

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