Fortune 500 Daily

Goldman Sachs just announced it will no longer take a company public unless it has at least one woman or non-white member on the board. This is just the latest example of efforts to increase gender diversity in boardrooms and C-suites. The financial industry has long been under scrutiny for its lack of diversity among top executives. It’s an issue that Edward Jones’ Managing Partner, Penny Pennington, is quite familiar with.

These days you can pay for things with a tap of a smart phone – or in some parts of the world – even a scan of your face. And while these tech advances may have that checkbook collecting dust in your desk drawer – there are still about thirty-BILLION checks written in the United States each year. This perfectly illustrates a challenge facing big banks: they need to accommodate analog customers, while also catering to digital customers.

Air France is experiencing some rough air as 20-20 begins… Together with its partner K-L-M, Air France is one of the world’s largest carriers. But profits are down, discount airlines are stealing away customers and now – French transportation unions are striking, causing flight delays and cancellations. That’s a lot for Air France’s C-E-O, Anne Rigail, to tackle. But – she has a plan.

China has more than 850-million internet users. That’s the largest online population of any country in the world. But when it comes to cloud computing, China lags behind other developed nations. Fortune 500 powerhouse, Amazon, see this as a big business opportunity. Its Amazon Web Services group – better known as A-W-S – is the company’s cloud computing platform. It already helps millions of customers around the world store, manage and process data.

It’s been nearly seventy years since Avon first released its iconic “Ding Dong – Avon calling” T-V ad. The beauty industry has changed a lot since then… But the idea of building relationships with customers – just like the Avon lady did – still resonates. And it’s one reason the Brazilian beauty company Natura decided to acquire Avon last year. Natura’s C-E-O, Roberto Marques, told Fortune how he plans to capitalize on Avon’s legacy.

Americans eat roughly 50-billion hamburgers each year – that’s about three hamburgers a week for every adult in the U-S. In contrast, the average adult in FRANCE consumes about one hamburger per MONTH. So there’s no question – burgers are big business in the U-S. But do those burgers have to be made with MEAT? Mark Schneider doesn’t think so. He’s the C-E-O of Nestle – the world’s largest food and beverage company.

The start of a new year – and a new decade – is a good opportunity for businesses to stop and take stock of where they are and where they want to go. But that’s easier said than done in a world where digital technologies and geopolitical landscapes are evolving at breakneck speed. Fortune’s Global Forum in Paris hosted some of the world’s top C-E-Os to discuss the current business environment.

The roaring engine of a Ford Mustang is a sound car lovers may recognize instantly. But sales of the iconic muscle car have slumped. So Ford Motor Company is launching a risky reboot: the new Mustang Mach-E. It’s a – QUIET – all-electric version with a 4-door S-U-V body style. Die-hard Mustang fans may cry foul – but Ford hopes the move draws new customers to the brand. The Mach-E not only looks and sounds different, it was developed using a whole new process.

After months of tit-for-tat tariffs, the U-S and China just signed off on “phase one” of a trade deal. But many questions – and plenty of tension – remain between the two powerful economies. Take Huawei (WAH-way) for example… the Chinese telecom giant was added to the U-S “Entity List” last year. This banned American companies from doing business with Huawei.

The past decade was a tough one for General Electric… The Fortune 500 company sold off more than a dozen businesses. But it held onto G-E Healthcare – one of its key units and potentially a stable force in the company’s attempt to turn itself around. In the meantime, G-E’s healthcare division is investing heavily in A-I technologies. One example – an imaging system powered by artificial intelligence.