German Chancellor Angela Merkel is considered the most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes magazine: Photo: AFP
PEOPLEForbes lists the most powerful women in the world
German chancellor Angela Merkel has topped the Forbes list of the world’s 100 most powerful women, but may have a fight on her hands to retain the title.
Former secretary of state and US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, at No 2, is “just a breath and a ballot away from the most powerful woman crown,” said the list’s compilers.
The 2015 list also features newcomer Taylor Swift, at 25 the youngest on it, with the singer/songwriter placed at No 64.
Top ranked in the entertainment industry is Beyonce, whose On The Run joint tour with her husband, Jay Z, grossed more than US$100mil (RM362mil) last year.
The Forbes list is compiled using the criteria of money, media momentum, spheres of influence and impact.
While Merkel, 60, claims the top slot for the fifth year in succession, and has made the list 10 times over the past 12 years – nine of them as No 1 – she faces a stiff challenge in the future, said Forbes.
“She could lose her title for the first time since 2010 to the one person with a credible and mathematical chance of ‘leading’ the world, Hillary Clinton.”
Democratic presidential hopeful and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been on the Forbes list since 2004. Photo: AFP
Clinton, 67, has appeared in the Forbes rankings every year since its 2004 launch, as senator, secretary of state, influential personality and now presidential hopeful.
Top-ranked billionaire is Oprah Winfrey, who has a personal net wealth estimated at US$2bil (RM7.3bil), and is placed at No 12. Her Harpo Productions company co-produced the award-winning film Selma.
Anna Wintour, Conde Nast artistic director, is the top-ranked woman in media at No 28, with Arianna Huffington, editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, at No 61, and list newcomer Katharine Viner, 44, the Guardian’s newly appointed editor-in-chief, at No 80.
Other newcomers include Ana Botin, 54, newly installed chair of Santander Group, Spain, who is ranked top woman in finance at No 18. Elizabeth Holmes, 31, described as the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, who founded blood donor company Theranos and is now said to be worth an estimated US$3bil, also makes her debut and is ranked No 72.
This year, 17 women under the age of 45 made it onto the annual list.
“The current era of female empowerment is stronger and better than ever, and the growing number of younger influences on the list is enough proof that age is nothing but a number,” the list compilers said. Sheryl Sandberg, 45, the former Google executive who is now Facebook’s chief operating officer, is the highest ranking of the 45-and-unders, coming in at No 8.
Taylor Swift is new to the list and is the youngest person on it. She is at number 64. Photo: AFP
She is also, for the fourth year running, the highest placed woman in technology. Marissa Mayer, 38, meanwhile, who as Yahoo’s chief reportedly on a US$27mil (RM98.2mil) salary is one of the highest paid CEOs in the United States, is ranked No 22.
In total, seven Silicon Valley executives made it into the top 25.
Others to make the list include Ellen DeGeneres, 57, the comedian, producer and philanthropist, at No 50, actor Angelina Jolie, at No 54, and singer Shakira Mebarak, at No 81.
Seven of the women to appear on the 2015 list appeared on the first list back in 2004 – Melinda Gates, Christine Lagarde, Clinton, Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo, Winfrey, Queen Elizabeth II (at No 41) and Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek, Singapore.
Announcing the list, Forbes said: “The 2015 Most Powerful Women list features eight heads of state (plus one monarch) who run nations with a combined GDP of US$9.1 tril (RM33.1 tril) with over 600 million citizens – including the newly elected Polish prime minister Ewa Kopacz.
“The 24 corporate CEOs control nearly US$1 tril (RM3.6 tril) in annual revenues, and 18 of the women here founded their own companies or foundations, including our youngest self-made billionaire, Elizabeth Holmes, 31.
“Speaking of, this year’s class has 15 billionaires with cumulative net worth of nearly US$75 bil (RM272.9 bil). The total social media footprint (Twitter, YouTube) of all 100 power women is nearly 475 million followers.”
– Guardian News & Media
Top 10 Women
Angela MerkelGerman chancellor.
Hillary Clintonformer secretary of state and US presidential candidate.
Melinda Gates50, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Janet Yellen68, chair of the Federal Reserve in Washington.
Mary Barra53, CEO of General Motors.
Christine Lagarde59, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund.
Dilma Rousseff67, President of Brazil.
Sheryl Sandberg45, CEO of Facebook.
Susan Wojcicki46, CEO of YouTube.
Michelle Obama51, First Lady, United States.
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