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The 45 most beloved CEOs in America, according to employees

By Erin McDowell

  • Glassdoor released its rankings of the most popular CEOs of 2019.
  • This year, VMware's Pat Gelsinger took the top spot.
  • Lynsi Snyder of In-N-Out Burger is the top female CEO on the list, coming in as the third-highest rated chief executive officer.

Glassdoor just released its rankings for the most popular CEOs of 2019, and you might be surprised at who did — and didn't — make the cut. 

While high-profile CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg dropped down the list (he fell from No. 16 to No. 55), others climbed the ranks.

Pat Gelsinger of the software company VMware took the top spot with a 99% employee approval rating and stellar company reviews. 

Meanwhile, Lynsi Snyder of In-N-Out Burger is the top female CEO on the list, coming in as the third-highest rated chief executive officer.

The 2019 Highest-Rated CEOs report was compiled from the input of anonymous employees who reviewed their companies on Glassdoor. When filling out a review, Glassdoor users can rate their CEO to indicate their approval, neutrality, or disapproval.

To be eligible for the final ranking, each CEO had to run a company with at least 1,000 employees and had to have at least 100 approval ratings, senior management ratings, and company reviews from US-based employees between May 2, 2018, and May 1, 2019.

The rankings were close, and final results had to be rounded up to whole numbers. They are not ties.

Head over to Glassdoorfor the top 100 list, and keep scrolling below for the top 45 CEOs, all of whom received employee approval ratings of 95% and up, as well as employee impressions of the company and leadership:

45. Mike Roman, 3M

CEO approval rating: 95%

"3M has a healthy work/life balance, is innovative, appreciates new ideas, and is willing to try new approaches." — a training specialist for 3M in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

44. Michael J. Dowling, Northwell Health

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Northwell is a wonderful company and they really understand the way patient care is supposed to be delivered. Being able to be part of that experience is one of the best feelings." — a nurse at Northwell Health

43. Tim Yaggi, Pella

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Amazing culture. Development is highly prioritized. Challenging, yet extremely rewarding … An incredible place to work. [I] highly recommend and I often recruit every chance I get." — a segment business manager in Des Moines, Iowa

42. Craig Jelinek, Costco

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Very affordable high-quality health insurance benefits even for PT employees. Great for working parents who split up childcare and need coverage. The key to succeeding at Costco is to work hard, have a good attitude and be nice to people. It's hard work and fast-paced, you have to be down for that to succeed." — a Costco front-end assistant in San Luis Obispo, California

41. David Wadhwani, AppDynamics

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Management culture that listens to feedback and fosters a collaborative and inclusive work environment. Passionate people striving to innovate, push towards new standards, and address customer needs. Many opportunities to grow professionally and personally." — a current employee in San Francisco

40. Chuck Robbins, Cisco Systems

CEO approval rating: 95%

"I have never worked at a company that cares as much for their employees as Cisco. This has been seen personally with me, and with a multitude of my team mates in our work/life balance, on location with customers, and career progression planning. I could not ask for more." — a current network consulting engineer in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

39. Robert E. Sulentic, CBRE

CEO approval rating: 95%

"I started at CBRE 3 months ago and have loved every second. They have an amazing training program that focuses on helping you develop your own business. The company creates an amazing culture based off of great values that each employee demonstrates daily. It truly is an inspiring work environment to be a part of." — a current CBRE employee in Los Angeles

38. Scott Scherr, Ultimate Software

CEO approval rating: 95%

"I cannot say enough about how wonderful this company is and how they treat their employees, It is like working alongside family. They truly care about their employees and put us first. Benefits speak for themselves. Health, Dental, Vision are completely covered by the company, great 401(k) plan, you become a stockholder when you are hired. They have a wellness program that offers fitness classes, meditation, massages and so much more." — a current employee in Weston, Florida

37. Jonas Prising, Manpower

CEO approval rating: 95%

"The office team is very friendly, understanding and they have wonderful communication with employees. They keep you informed about other upcoming positions where your working and about any new assignments they get. They appreciate your hard work and effort with little perks every now and then. Another thing I love about Manpower there is room for growth. There are classes you can take and get bumped up to leadership roles with higher pay. And they will help you go back to school if you need to." — a current Manpower warehouse worker in Lacombe, Louisiana

36. Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Diversity, excellent benefits, they promote from within." — a current underwriting manager in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

35. Gary C. Kelly, Southwest Airlines

CEO approval rating: 95%

"It's cliche, but it really does feel like a family at Southwest. We are proud of our (now not so) little airline and what we stand for. I have had fantastic leaders who care about me as a person — not just my work. Our senior-most leaders think of employees first with every decision they make. I feel fortunate every day to work for this company." — a communications lead for corporate communications in Dallas

34. Dan Schulman, PayPal

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Honestly, every day that I come into work I am grateful for the opportunity to work for this company. They do so many small and large things for their employees to show how much they care and they truly do want to make sure their employees stick with them for a long time." — a current employee in merchant onboarding in Omaha, Nebraska

33. Anant Yardi, Yardi Systems

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Yardi is a great place to work! All of the teams are collaborative, people are friendly, care about what they do, and work hard. Yardi has a lot of positive impact on communities where offices are, and employees get a say in where. I love working at Yardi!" — a current manager for Yardi Systems in Santa Barbara, California

32. Tom Linebarger, Cummins

CEO approval rating: 95%

"I appreciate the fact that Cummins is very focused on Diversity and Inclusion. I feel like my input is welcomed." —  a current senior human resources generalist in Columbus, Indiana

31. Bill McDermott, SAP

CEO approval rating: 95%

"SAP is a wonderful organization to work for because it works with Fortune 500 clients whereby we are always ahead of technology and best practices .… Aside from the benefits, discounted purchase options, and remarkable engagement groups, the talent is amazing and you will work with many competent people." — a manager in Montreal

30. Aron J. Ain, Kronos Incorporated

CEO approval rating: 95%

"This is the best company that I have ever worked for and I've never worked for a bad one. From the CEO down through all levels of management, employees, and customers are the primary focus. Being a 'Kronite' is a badge of honor. The company promotes a very healthy work/life balance and there are no jerks." — a current Kronos Incorporated sales manager

29. Steven C. Bilt, Smile Brands

CEO approval rating: 95%

"I love being a part of a team that not only cares about the patients but also respects and cares for all coworkers as well. The CEO of the company drills into our heart and minds that we stand for creating 'Smiles For Everyone.' Amazing group to work for." — a Smile Brands district specialty manager in Colorado Springs

28. Todd Graves, Raising Cane's

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Lots of free Cane's gear, lavish (and frequent) company-sponsored events, great company culture, required restaurant training. The founder & Co-CEO is an amazing leader." — a former coordinator in Plano, Texas

27. Daniel Springer, DocuSign

CEO approval rating: 95%

"Dan Springer sets a very honest and down to earth tone within the company and you can tell he really cares about the quality of his employees' lives in and outside of work." — a DocuSign employee in Seattle

26. Chad England, CR England

CEO approval rating: 95%

"The only advice I have for management is to continue to strive for excellence. C.R. England has revolutionized the Trucking Industry with its staff, family-oriented values, and training." — a current truck driver in Salt Lake City, Utah 

25. Asher Raphael and Corey Schiller, Power Home Remodeling

CEO approval rating: 96%

"The company cares about you and you're not just a number to them. Management is always there to help you inside work or outside of work. Truly an A+ company." — a Power Home Remodeling marketing employee in Riverview, Florida

24. Brad Jackson, Slalom

CEO approval rating: 96%

"Slalom Denver is a unique place where I have had the chance to grow as a consultant and also as a person through Slalom's unique training and leadership opportunities … We are coached by leaders who care about our personal development beyond just the numbers." — acurrent Slalom employee in Denver

23. Scott Davis, FLIK Hospitality Group

CEO approval rating: 96%

"The FLIK Organization operates at a higher level of service and professionalism." — the director of catering in Hartford, Connecticut 

22. Aneel Bhusri, Workday

CEO approval rating: 96%

"The culture and future prospects of the company are the best things about this organization." — a senior product manager in San Francisco

21. John F. Bergstrom, Bergstrom Automotive

CEO approval rating: 96%

"John Bergstrom is a recognized leader in our organization and with the Green Bay Packers. Bergstrom generously supports Make-A-Wish and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Our workplaces are very clean and modern as evidenced by our "race shop clean" philosophy." — a current service consultant in Appleton, Wisconsin

20. Erhardt Preitauer, CareSource

CEO approval rating: 96%

"The company truly cares about its members, employees, and communities. I love working for a company that actually cares and is not all about the bottom line. I feel like I'm contributing to making the world a better place through volunteer opportunities as well as the day to day operations that help our members." — a business analyst in Dayton, Ohio

19. Randy Richardson, Vi

CEO approval rating: 96%

"[I feel] privileged to work with the spectrum of seniors providing compassionate care and excellent services. My professional skills and opportunities have been enhanced by career development programs and great mentors." — a Vi resident services director in Palo Alto, California

18. Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA

CEO approval rating: 96%

"Very strong, charismatic, and trusted CEO leadership. The mid-level engineering managers are either still active or used to be talented technical contributors, so they are usually trustworthy in terms of making good decisions. For such a large company now, things still seem to move pretty quickly. There is heavy emphasis on execution here, so people are conscious about minimizing the overhead." — a current NVIDIA employee

17. Marc Benioff and Keith Block, Salesforce

CEO approval rating: 96%

"Marc Benioff. The best CEO ever! He is the greatest reason behind Salesforce's success. How he behaves flows down through the chain company-wide." — a Salesforce architect in San Francisco

16. Brian Halligan, HubSpot

CEO approval rating: 96%

"Extremely smart and innovative people. Always a challenging environment … The transparency from the executive team is the best I've been around, and the passion of the staff is unmatched." — a former HubSpot sales manager from Cambridge, Massachusetts

15. Cathy Engelbert, Deloitte

CEO approval rating: 97%

"These folks know exactly what they are doing. They set high standards, and consistently deliver. Their project expectations and planning is excellent. The top-level management folks are extremely smart and have a great sense of vision and planning." — a former Deloitte AMS associate from Boston

14. Matt Scantland, CoverMyMeds

CEO approval rating: 97%

"It's incredible how much our leadership team values employees and is truly committed to making CoverMyMeds the best place to work. This is the only place I've worked that treats everyone fairly, values input from all levels of the company, helps employees grow their careers, and invests in their employees." — a current CoverMyMeds employee

13. Kevin A. Lobo, Stryker

CEO approval rating: 97%

"Stryker has one of the best working atmospheres I have ever been a part of. They know how to hire the right people and the people mesh together easily and well. They understand innovation and are great at identifying upcoming medical technology to help them continue to grow in a positive direction every year." — a current Stryker employee

12. Manny Maceda, Bain & Company

CEO approval rating: 97%

"A great opportunity to build fundamental business skills. Incredible culture and people. Leadership is invested in your career goals and future no matter where that path will take you." — an associate consultant in Atlanta

11. Esfand Dinshaw, Sammons Financial Group

CEO approval rating: 97%

"Sammons is a great place to work. Senior management is approachable and friendly. There is a huge focus on company culture and work-life balance that is unseen at most other companies." — a current sales administration employee in Des Moines, Iowa

10. Hubert Joly, Best Buy

CEO approval rating: 97%

"I've worked with SVP's and VP's as well as from time to time with the CEO, everyone has a great vision of where they want the company to go and be in the next couple of years I was awesome to work them all hand in hand." — a current executive assistant in Richfield, Minnesota

9. Gary S. Guthart, Intuitive Surgical

CEO approval rating: 97%

"High integrity, genuine, capable people, from top-down. Clear and meaningful mission. Grateful to be part of the team." — a director in Sunnyvale, California

8. Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn

CEO approval rating: 97%

"Best CEO and board in the world, great organization culture, awesome perks, salaries above average, opportunities to develop your career, successful business and good principles of corporate social responsibility." — a LinkedIn employee in Omaha, Nebraska

7. Kevin Sneader, McKinsey & Company

CEO approval rating: 98%

"Breadth of engagement opportunities, executive-level access, amazing network, learning opportunities, life long friendships." — a senior engagement manager at McKinsey & Company

6. Satya Nadella, Microsoft

CEO approval rating: 98%

"Great time to work here. Satya is a terrific CEO and the culture is cooperative and rewarding." — a Microsoft software engineer in Seattle

5. Shantanu Narayen, Adobe

CEO approval rating: 98%

"The CEO has a very good understanding of current trends in the industry and is willing to make changes." — an Adobe technical staff member in San Jose, California

4. John Legere, T-Mobile

CEO approval rating: 99%

"Management is awesome and always willing to help you move up, so much opportunity in this company. It's a transparent company with amazing benefits, and you can make a lot of money just working part-time." — a bilingual mobile expert and outreach specialist in Spartanburg, South Carolina

3. Lynsi Snyder, In-N-Out Burger

CEO approval rating: 99%

"All the upper level/management/owner truly care about their employees." — an In-N-Out Burger employee in Daly City, California

2. Charles C. Butt, H-E-B

CEO approval rating: 99%

"Much of the top leadership really took a lot of pride in their work. I learned from many people and they really had a good head for the business, and if you're interested in a career that you can grow with this is the place." — A former H-E-B floral specialist in Austin

1. Pat Gelsinger, VMware

CEO approval rating: 99%

"VMware is a big company but in many ways had a startup vibe. That was great because the resources and infrastructure of a big company were there, but it gave most people I worked with the freedom to work on many projects, influence, move around, and contribute in many ways." — A current software engineer in Palo Alto, California

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This article first appeared on Business Insider on July 17, 2019.

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