It’s out – Forbes’ definitive ranking of the most powerful women in the world. An inspirational mix of visionary CEOs, extraordinary entrepreneurs, pioneering philanthropists, billionaire activists, heads of state and celebrity role models are among the official top 100 list of women transforming the world – ranked by impact, dollars and media presence by Forbes Magazine.
The list, which was topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also included 25 year old celebrity songbird Taylor Swift who made her presence felt as the youngest on the list at number 64. And, with 58 million Twitter fans and earnings estimated at around $81 million in 2014 alone, it’s little wonder she’s cracked a position on the coveted list.
Senator Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton came in at No. 2 this year and as a senator, secretary of state and influential personality it’s no surprise she’s ranked every single year in the Forbes’ list since it launched in 2004.
Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
Joining Merkel and Clinton, the most powerful women in business, politics, tech and philanthropy are Melinda Gates (Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Mary Barra (CEO, General Motors) and Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook).
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey, with a personal net wroth of $3 billion is the highest ranking billionaire at No. 12, Beyonce Knowles takes the crown in the entertainment field at No. 21, while Vogue’s Anna Wintour leads the charge in media at No. 28.
Beyonce Knowles
Here’s a quick peek at the Power Women for 2015:
No. 1
Chancellor Merkel tops the pops after being elected in 2005 and winning a third term in 2013. She’s made the list ten times over the past 12 years – nine of those time as No. 1.
Newcomers
Joining Taylor Swift are eighteen other newbies to the list. Others include leading venture capitalist Jenny Lee of GGV Capital, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Google CFO Ruth Porat and Ana Patricia Botin – the new chair of Banco Santander and the most powerful woman in finance.
Hall of Fame
Oprah, of course. Queen Elizabeth II, Melinda Gates, Hillary Clinton, Indra Nooyi, Christine Lagarde and Ho Ching all featured in the inaugural 2004 list, and are still here today.
Women in Tech
There were eighteen tech entrants to the top 100 in 2015 and seven of those women in tech made the top 25 this year including Sheryl Sandberg, YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki, IBM’s Ginni Rometty, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and HP’s Meg Whitman.
Female Entrepreneurs
Fashion made its presence felt with a remarkable number of women on this year’s list owning their own companies. Miuccia Prada, Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch were among the high-end fashion entries. Other self-starters included the wealthiest woman in Africa Folorunsho Alakija, Chinese real estate tycoon Zhang Xin, Oprah Winfrey, Alibaba cofounder Lucy Peng, billionaire founder-CEO Elizabeth Holmes and India’s first biotech entrepreneur Kiran Mazamdar-Shaw.
Celebrity Influencers
Joining Taylor Swift – who this year donated a five figure sum to the New York City Department of Education – are Oprah, Angelina Jolie, Shakira, Beyonce, Sofia Vergara and the Refugee Agency’s Goodwill Ambassador in China, Yao Chen.
Feel Good Factor
Heading the major nonprofit and NGO sectors and impacting billions of people every year are Melinda Gates, Laurene Powell Jobs, Bloomberg’s Patricia Harris and World Food Programme Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.
Falling Off The List
With nineteen newcomers in 2015, some of the notable drop-offs from last year were celebrities Lady Gaga and Gisele Bundchen along with Margaret Hamburg, Amy Pascal, Gail Kelly, Helene Gayle, Patricia Woertz, Joyce Banda, Chua Sock Koong, Jennifer Li and Sun Yafang.
What do you think of the Forbes’ Most Powerful Women list? Who do you think should have made the cut and didn’t? Or did, and shouldn’t have? Tell us in the comments below…