5 companies owned by Black executive Robin Washington

Feyisayo Ajayi -

In the intersection of technology and biopharmaceuticals, Robin Washington stands tall among other executives. With a career navigating top-tier organizations, she not only carved her legacy but also fortified her position as one of America’s wealthiest Black executives through strategic investments in leading organizations.

Renowned for her impactful roles across diverse industries, Washington’s journey includes serving as managing director at Gilead Sciences GmbH, an advisory board member at Altas Partners Inc., and pivotal positions at Catalyst Partners Acquisition Corp. Her influential tenure as CFO at Gilead Sciences, Kite Pharma, and Pharmasset solidifies her status as one of America’s most influential executives.

Presently, Washington lends her expertise as a Board Member at Alphabet, Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., and Salesforce.com, where she chairs the Audit Committee. She also shapes the future through advisory roles on boards such as Pepperdine University, the University of Michigan, and the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.

Before her impactful stint at Gilead Sciences, Robin showcased financial prowess as CFO at Hyperion Solutions Inc. and senior VP/corporate controller at PeopleSoft. Her managerial and leadership skills resonate from roles at Tandem Computers, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and Deloitte & Touche.

As one of America’s wealthiest Black executives, Washington manages a robust investment portfolio worth millions of dollars. Each company within her holdings, as highlighted by Billionaires.Africa, reflects her strategic brilliance, unwavering commitment to innovation, and significant influence across the technology and biopharmaceutical industries:

  1. Black Women on Boards (BWOB)
    In 2020, Washington alongside her partner, Merline Saintil co-founded Black Women on Boards (BWOB), a non-profit organization dedicated to placing more talented, successful Black female executives on the boards of large companies and other organizations, BWOB’s membership now spans Fortune 500 and pre-IPO companies. The organization has successfully appointed 30 board members, showcasing its commitment to empowering accomplished individuals and fostering lasting generational impact.
  2. Salesforce.com, Inc.
    Salesforce, Inc. is an American cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Washington owns a 0.0041-percent stake equivalent to 39,619 ordinary shares in the group currently worth $9.97 million, solidifying her position in the IT Services and Consulting giant that provides customer relationship management software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, and application development.
  3. Alphabet, Inc.
    At Alphabet, Inc.—an American multinational technology conglomerate holding company headquartered in Mountain View, California, Washington holds a 0.0004-percent stake, representing 24,860 ordinary shares currently worth $3.21 million. Alphabet was created through a restructuring of Google on October 2, 2015, becoming the parent company of Google and several former Google subsidiaries.
  4. Honeywell International, Inc.
    In Honeywell International, Inc., an American publicly traded multinational consumer goods conglomerate,  Washington owns a minority 0.0018 percent of 11,790 ordinary shares worth $2.34 million. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Honeywell International primarily operates in aerospace, building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions.
  5. Vertiv Holdings Co.
    Washington’s strategic holdings include a 0.0026-percent stake, representing 10,000 ordinary shares, in Vertiv Holdings, Inc. worth $458,100. This American multinational provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, focuses on AC and DC power management, thermal management, integrated modular solutions, Integrated Rack Solutions, Services and spares with critical digital infrastructure software.