Rise & Lead names Faber, Hajji and Sijbesma 2026 changemakers

Rise & Lead Women honored Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber, Action CEO Hajir Hajji and Royal Philips Supervisory Board Chair Feike Sijbesma at its 2026 Awards in The Hague on Sept. 10. The recognition spotlights leaders whose work has driven organizational change, opportunity and measurable impact across business and society.

Why it matters: - The Rise & Lead Changemaker Award highlights leaders whose decisions affect company culture, talent pipelines and business performance. - The 2026 honorees reflect three different paths to impact: consumer tech, retail and industrial transformation. - The award also connects leadership with broader questions about women’s advancement, responsible AI and long-term business value.

What happened: - Rise & Lead Women named Hanneke Faber, Hajir Hajji and Feike Sijbesma the 2026 Rise & Lead Changemaker Honourees. - The award was presented on 10 September at Hilton The Hague during the 5th Rise & Lead Awards. - The awards were held alongside the ninth Summit, themed "Leading with Purpose in the Age of AI." - The honourees were recognized in The Hague for purposeful leadership, organizational transformation and measurable impact.

The details: - Hanneke Faber became CEO of Logitech on 1 December 2023. - Faber’s career spans 30 years and includes leadership roles at Unilever, Ahold Delhaize and Procter & Gamble. - Before Logitech, Faber led Unilever’s $14 billion Nutrition business across 150 countries. - That role included Knorr, Hellmann’s, research and development, food-service operations and about 60 factories. - At Logitech, women hold 50% of leadership positions. - Logitech reviews compensation equity worldwide every year. - Logitech supports hybrid work and advances women and girls in technology. - Hajir Hajji joined Action as a store assistant in 1997, when the retailer had 13 stores. - Hajji advanced through operational and commercial roles before becoming CEO. - Action now has more than 3,500 stores, close to 85,000 colleagues from more than 150 nationalities and 22 million weekly customers. - In 2025, Action created 4,500 jobs and promoted 3,700 colleagues. - Feike Sijbesma led Royal DSM from 2007 to 2020. - Sijbesma transformed DSM from a bulk-chemical producer into a global Life & Materials Sciences company focused on nutrition, health and sustainability. - Sijbesma made innovation and women’s advancement business priorities at DSM. - Sijbesma now chairs the Supervisory Board of Royal Philips and founded Darwin International. - Sijbesma’s global roles include work on climate adaptation, the World Bank, the IMF, the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. - Robert Baker, Chair of the Rise & Lead Distinguished International Jury, said the three honourees represent remarkable leadership journeys and show the power of purposeful leadership. - Ebere Akadiri, Founder of Rise & Lead Women, said each honouree used influence to transform organizations, develop people and contribute to society. - Faber said Rise & Lead recognizes intentional, measurable action to advance women’s leadership. - Hajji said Action’s people are the beating heart of the company and talent is everywhere. - Sijbesma said purposeful leadership means building organizations that create lasting value for business and society.

Between the lines: - The award is less about individual status and more about leadership models that spread opportunity inside large organizations. - Each honouree’s career path emphasizes internal mobility, structural change and culture-building rather than a single business win. - The summit’s AI theme suggests Rise & Lead is linking diversity and leadership questions to the next wave of workplace change.

What's next: - Rise & Lead Women said the 2026 Summit brought together leaders and changemakers to examine responsible AI, trust, human judgment and the importance of diverse voices shaping work. - The organization, founded in 2018, will continue developing women for top leadership roles through leadership programs, corporate partnerships, a global community and strategic convenings. - More information is available in the full biographies of the 2026 Rise & Lead Changemaker Honourees.