Forbes has published its 50 Over 50: Innovation 2026 list, which includes 50 women over the age of 50 who continue to exert a significant influence on science, medicine, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, space research, industry and the technology business. The ranking was published on August 11, 2026, and is part of the broader Forbes 50 Over 50 project, which includes a total of 200 women in four categories — Innovation, Impact, Investment and Lifestyle.
An important clarification is that Forbes does not assign all 50 participants positions from No. 1 to No. 50. On the main Innovation page, the names are listed alphabetically. The de facto exception was Ritu Narayan, founder of the transportation startup Zum, whom both the company and the entrepreneur herself describe as the “No. 1 honoree” in the Innovation category and the face of the issue’s cover. However, Forbes did not publish a complete numerical ranking of the remaining 49 positions.
Narayan, who grew up in India and built her career in Silicon Valley, created Zum, a technology platform modernizing the U.S. school bus system using artificial intelligence, GPS and electric vehicles. Forbes values the startup at approximately $1.7 billion, with 2025 revenue of $333 million.
The 50 honorees also include Stanford professor Zhenan Bao, who works on electronic skin and wearable electronics; 2025 Nobel Prize laureate Mary Brunkow; NASA science program leader Nicola Fox; MIT School of Engineering dean Paula Hammond; MIT professor and developer of wireless medical technologies Dina Katabi; Takeda head Julie Kim; astrophysicist and dean of MIT’s School of Science Nergis Mavalvala; former Yahoo chief and Dazzle AI founder Marissa Mayer; HubSpot chief Yamini Rangan; Cummins leader Jennifer Rumsey, and many others.
An analysis by Experts.News reveals an interesting geography of the list. Forbes itself does not publish separate statistics by nationality, so it is more accurate to speak about the countries of birth and origins of the participants. By this measure, the United States clearly dominates: most of the women in the Innovation-50 were born and built their careers specifically within the American scientific and entrepreneurial environment.
Among the participants born outside the United States, several countries stand out. Serbia is represented by two natives — Vunjak-Novakovic and Matarić. India — Ritu Narayan and Yamini Rangan. China — Zhenan Bao and Michelle Zhou. Morocco — Bahija Jallal and Wafaa Mamilli. Serbia therefore belongs to a small group of countries that produced two participants in the Innovation-50. Zhou’s Chinese origin is confirmed by the Association for Computing Machinery, while Mamilli herself lists Casablanca as her city of birth; Roche lists her citizenships as French, Moroccan and U.S.
Among other countries, Pakistan, Syria, South Korea, Thailand, France, the United Kingdom and Israel each have one participant on the list. For example, Nergis Mavalvala was born in Lahore, Pakistan; Dina Katabi in Damascus; Julie Kim in Seoul; Thai Lee in Thailand; Aude Oliva in France; Nicola Fox in Hitchin, England; and Daphne Zohar in Israel.
At the same time, the list’s main geographical conclusion concerns not so much passports as the concentration of talent within the American innovation ecosystem. Even most of the women born in Serbia, India, China, Pakistan, Syria, South Korea or France now work at American universities and companies — MIT, Stanford, Columbia, USC, Berkeley, HubSpot, Cummins and other organizations. Four participants on the list are associated with MIT alone — Paula Hammond, Dina Katabi, Nergis Mavalvala and Aude Oliva.
For a Ukrainian audience, it is notable that there are no Ukraine-born women in the Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation 2026 category. However, the structure of the list itself demonstrates a model that is also relevant to Ukraine: a significant share of the most successful scientists and technology entrepreneurs are migrants or people originating from other countries who developed and implemented their innovations after integrating into major international universities, research centers and venture ecosystems. In this respect, the example of the two women born in Belgrade is particularly illustrative for Eastern European countries.
The full Innovation-50 includes Maya Ajmera, Lauren Antonoff, Katrina Armstrong, Zhenan Bao, Wendy Barnes, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Karen Blanks Ellis, Marsha Anderson Bomar, Christine Brown, Mary Brunkow, Jennifer Tour Chayes, Karen S. Carter, Margaret Dawson, Cindy Eckert, Karen Eng, Katie Farmer, Nicola Fox, Paula T. Hammond, Lisa Harris, Lisa Gelobter, Jacqueline Hinman, Colette D. Honorable, Janice Bryant Howroyd, Bahija Jallal, Sabrina Martucci Johnson, Dina Katabi, Julie Kim, Debra Laskin, Tessa Lau, Thai Lee, Emily Liman, Wafaa Mamilli, Christina Maslach, Maja Matarić, Nergis Mavalvala, Marissa Mayer, Vivienne Ming, Aude Oliva, Ritu Narayan, Yamini Rangan, Shubhi Rao, Jennifer Rumsey, Heather Shoemaker, Ellen Stofan, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Susie Wee, Beth Wozniak, Laura Yecies, Michelle Zhou and Daphne Zohar.
Thus, the 2026 Forbes list demonstrates two trends at once. The first is that an innovation career after the age of 50 increasingly continues for decades and can lead to major scientific and entrepreneurial achievements well beyond the traditional career peak. The second is that the United States remains the main center of attraction for such specialists, while simultaneously making use of the talents of scientists and entrepreneurs born in dozens of other countries.
Original source: Forbes — 2026 50 Over 50: Innovation
According to Experts.news, in 2024 Ukraine ranked 35th in the world in terms of the number of patent applications filed, with 2,559 applications, while China remains the undisputed global leader with 1.828 million applications, according to an analysis of global patent activity prepared by Volodymyr Khaustov, scientific secretary of the State Institution “Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,” and published by the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
Ranking of Countries by Number of Patent Applications in 2024
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Intellectual Property Indicators, Table A60 “Patent applications by office and origin, 2024”; calculations and systematization are presented in a study by Volodymyr Khaustov and the Experts Club analytical center.
Kyiv enterprises, with the support of the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of the Kyiv City State Administration, represented the capital of Ukraine at the MATELEC 2025 international exhibition of electrical engineering and electronics, which took place from November 18 to 20, 2025, in Madrid.
Ten Kyiv companies presented their developments at the “Made in Kyiv” stand:
On November 18, the grand opening of the Made in Kyiv collective stand took place, bringing together leading companies from the capital and serving as a platform for demonstrating innovative solutions in the fields of electronics, energy, automation, and modern manufacturing.
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of government and diplomatic institutions, including Oksana Skrypets, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of Ukraine in Spain, Rada Ivanova, representative of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, Volodymyr Kostikov, Director of the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of the Kyiv City State Administration, and his deputy Anatoliy Bahan.
From the very first day of the exhibition, Kyiv-based companies began active negotiations with European partners, demonstrating the high technological level of their products and solutions. At the exhibition stand, companies presented their solutions and devices for measurement and control, software products for process management, telemetry and communication equipment, lighting and power supply systems.
Ukrainian-Spanish Business Forum: New Vectors of Partnership
On November 19, as part of Kyiv’s participation in MATELEC 2025, the Ukrainian-Spanish Business Forum was held, which became an important event for the development of bilateral economic cooperation. The forum brought together representatives of industry, energy, automation, and high technology from Ukraine and Spain, becoming an effective platform for B2B communications.
Among the participants and speakers at the forum were representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine in Spain, SERCOBE, the Ukrainian-Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club Madrid, CEIM, and the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
During the event, Deputy Director of the Department Anatoliy Bahan presented the catalog “Best Exporter of the Year 2025,” and a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of the Kyiv City State Administration and Rotary Club Madrid International Passport, opening up new opportunities for international cooperation.
As a result of the forum, more than 70 individual business meetings were held, and the prospects for joint projects, distribution, and production cooperation were discussed.
“This forum was not just an event for us, but an important signal that Kyiv enterprises remain competitive in the European market. The dynamics of the negotiations and the sincere interest of Spanish partners in our engineering solutions are impressive. We see a real demand from Spanish businesses for cooperation with Kyiv, and this is the best evidence of the effectiveness of our work,” said Department Director Volodymyr Kostikov.
Overall, Spanish and European companies highly appreciated the innovation, engineering culture, and product quality of Kyiv enterprises, and Kyiv’s participation in the MATELEC 2025 exhibition was a striking example of effective international presence, demonstrating the capital’s investment attractiveness and the consistent development of the export potential of Kyiv businesses.
“We are not only presenting our capabilities — we are building trust, forming partnerships, and opening the way to new markets for our enterprises. Participation in MATELEC 2025 confirms that Kyiv’s industry has powerful potential and is capable of competing at the European level,” summed up Volodymyr Kostikov.
Interfax-Ukraine is a media partner of the event.
Schneider Electric, a leader in digital transformation in the field of energy management and automation, and the OKKO filling station network have implemented a large-scale project for uninterrupted power supply and infrastructure reliability – 290 out of 410 filling stations of the network will be equipped with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) with modern powerful batteries in 2022-2024, and in 2025 it is planned to equip another 50 filling stations of the network with the same UPS.
The equipment chosen by OKKO is designed to protect the power supply in the most unstable conditions. Schneider Electric lithium-ion UPS has a long service life without battery replacement (up to 12-15 years), long autonomy time with its compact dimensions and ease of maintenance.
“Even before the large-scale blackouts, OKKO started implementing a plan to modernize the corporate data network. We realized that we needed efficient equipment that would ensure the smooth operation of all vital filling station systems – cash registers, fuel dispensers, equipment providing Wi-Fi and other customer services. We started looking for the right powerful equipment, analyzing the world’s experience. The solution from Schneider Electric provided the result we needed. In fact, regardless of power outages at OKKO filling stations, customers will not face delays in payments or lack of Wi-Fi,” said Sergiy Lesko, CIO of OKKO.
“Schneider Electric has deep experience in technologies and practices that can improve energy efficiency and sustainability, understands and carefully studies the specific needs of each Ukrainian customer,” said Volodymyr Dokhlenko, Head of Secure Power at Schneider Electric in Ukraine, Czech Republic and Slovakia, ”As part of this project, our client received uninterrupted power supply to the filling station for up to 5 hours, as well as the preservation of critical data and round-the-clock monitoring of the UPS network.”
The UPS network monitoring system is provided by the equipment supplier. Thanks to predictive analytics of the UPS operation status and notifications about the need to replace it soon, service work is carried out in a timely manner, minimizing the risk of downtime.
About OKKO
The OKKO filling station network is one of the largest filling station networks in Ukraine (as of the beginning of 2025 – 410 filling stations). The company also has a network of on-the-go catering establishments, stationary and mobile laboratories for quality control of petroleum products, etc.
The company is one of the largest taxpayers in the fuel market. Based on the results of operations in 2024, the companies of OKKO Group paid a total of UAH 21.1 billion in taxes to the budget and state funds. This is UAH 5.6 billion, or 36%, more than in 2023.
About Schneider Electric
Schneider’s purpose is to create impact by empowering everyone to make the most of our energy and resources, ensuring progress and sustainability for all. We call it Life Is On.
Our mission is to be a trusted partner in sustainability and efficiency.
We are a global technology leader, bringing world-class expertise in electrification, automation and digitalization to smart industries, reliable infrastructure, future-proof data centers, smart buildings and intuitive homes. Drawing on our deep industry expertise, we provide integrated end-to-end AI-enabled industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software and services, creating digital twins to drive profitable growth for our customers.
Ourmain resource is our 150,000 employees and more than a million partners operating in more than 100 countries to ensure proximity to our customers and stakeholders. We support diversity and inclusion in everything we do, guided by our meaningful purpose of a sustainable future for all.
Schneider Electric, a leading global expert in energy management and automation, has unveiled a range of innovative solutions to address pressing energy and sustainability issues using artificial intelligence. The innovations were presented at the International Conference on Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development held in Paris.
Some solutions included innovations such as:
EcoStruxure Energy Hub – an intelligent energy management platform that allows companies to monitor resource consumption in real time and optimize their use to reduce their carbon footprint.
AI-Powered Grid Manager – an energy grid management system that uses artificial intelligence to analyze data and predictive control to improve the resilience and reliability of energy systems.
Green Building Suite – building optimization software to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs.
Smart Charging Station System for Electric Vehicles – a solution that integrates charging infrastructure with power grids and increases the efficiency of renewable energy sources.
According to Mikhail Bubnov, CEO of Schneider Electric Ukraine, these technologies will soon be available on the Ukrainian market.
“We are proud that our solutions presented in the global arena will be available to Ukrainian customers in the near future. This will enable the introduction of advanced technologies for energy management and automation, contributing to the sustainable development of the country and improving energy efficiency,” said Mikhail Bubnov.
According to the company’s forecasts, the use of such solutions in the Ukrainian market will contribute to improved energy management, cost reduction and transition to more environmentally friendly energy sources. This is especially important in the context of current challenges associated with the global energy crisis and the need to adapt to the standards of sustainable development.
Schneider Electric is a global leader in energy management and automation. The company develops integrated solutions for energy efficiency and sustainability, driving digital transformation across industries. With more than 180 years of history, Schneider Electric continues to innovate to create a sustainable future. Schneider Electric began its operations in Ukraine in 1994, opening representative offices in Kiev, followed by Donetsk, Mykolaiv and Lviv. In 2000, Schneider Electric Ukraine LLC was established with a commercial structure and warehouse, which allowed the company to strengthen its presence in the Ukrainian market and provide customers with a wide range of solutions in the field of energy management and automation.
Insurers in 2024 will focus on increasing investment in private markets, clean energy infrastructure and innovative technologies. According to the Reinsurance News website, this is according to the 13th annual Global Insurance Report by asset management company BlackRock.
For the third consecutive year, the report found that the majority of insurers plan to increase private market allocations, with 91% of respondents indicating they will do so in the next two years.
That figure reaches 96% for insurers in Asia Pacific and North America. The report is based on information from 410 insurance investors in 32 markets managing approximately $27 trillion in assets.
“With 2024 expected to be a landmark election year, insurers are increasingly concerned about how political uncertainty could impact macroeconomic risks, citing regulatory changes (68%) and rising geopolitical tensions and fragmentation (61%) as top concerns,” the report notes.
In addition, market risks such as interest rate volatility (69%) and liquidity problems (52%) were identified as critical.
Despite these challenges, 74% of insurers have no plans to change their current risk profiles. Many insurers cited the value of partnerships in improving their internal expertise for risk assessment and portfolio management, with 40% of respondents emphasizing that an investment partner that understands both their insurance business and operating model is critical to achieving their strategic goals.
In the public markets, 42% of insurers plan to increase investments in government and agency bonds, while 33% focus on inflation-linked bonds, as 46% view inflation as a significant macroeconomic risk. In addition, 44% of insurers are looking to increase their holdings in cash and short-term instruments to maintain liquidity.
BLACKROCK, clean energy, INNOVATION, INSURERS, INVESTMENT, private markets
