Merkel, Clinton named world’s most powerful women

Angela Merkel, German Chancellor

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are the world’s most powerful women, according to Forbes magazine’s annual survey.

Meg Whitman, Hewlett Packard CEO and President

 

Following the two stateswomen in the 2012 rankings was Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff.
The list covers women in fields as diverse as politics, business, media, entertainment and non-profits, their rankings determined by calculating wealth, media presence and overall impact.

Ursula Burns, Chairman, CEO of Zerox

 

The 100-strong list includes 25 CEOs overseeing $984-billion in revenues. The women come from a total of 28 countries, with an average age of 55.

Lady Gaga

 

Sixteen women enter the list for the first time, including singer Jennifer Lopez, former U.S. Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, Meg Whitman of Hewlett-Packard and Marissa Mayer of Yahoo.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO

 

Pop singer Lady Gaga (in 14th spot) is the youngest, at 26. The oldest, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who is 86, ranks only at number 26.
Others in the top tier include U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (ranked seventh) and Indian President Sonia Gandhi (ranked sixth). The first female executive editor of The New York Times, Jill Abramson, ranked fifth, while influential philanthropist Melinda Gates is ranked fourth.

Wife of Microsoft Corp co-founder, Melinda Gates

 

For Ms. Merkel, the top spot comes for the second year in a row and reflects her role in trying to resolve the European Union’s financial crisis. She “is the ‘Iron Lady’ of the European Union and the lead player in the euro-zone economic drama that continues to threaten global markets,” Forbes said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

 

Ms. Clinton, the magazine says, “has had a formidable past 12 months” and is set to resign at the end of they year.
Another major U.S. political figure, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, makes ninth on the list. She is also the first female head of that department.

Myanmar pro democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi

 

“This year’s Power Women exert influence in very different ways, and to very different ends, and all with very different impacts on the global community,” said Moira Forbes, president of ForbesWoman.
“Whether leading multibillion-dollar companies, governing countries, shaping the cultural fabric of our lives, or spearheading humanitarian initiatives, collectively these women are changing the planet in profoundly powerful and dynamic ways.”

Complete List

1. Angela Merkel
2. Hillary Clinton
3. Dilma Rousseff
4. Melinda Gates
5. Jill Abramson
6. Sonia Gandhi
7. Michelle Obama
8. Christine Lagarde
9. Janet Napolitano
10. Sheryl Sandberg
11. Oprah Winfrey
12. Indra Nooyi
13. Irene Rosenfeld
14. Lady Gaga
15. Virginia Rometty
16. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
17. Ursula Burns
18. Meg Whitman
19. Aung San Suu Kyi
20. Maria das Graças Silva Foster
21. Marissa Mayer
22. Anne Sweeney
23. Diane Sawyer
24. Angela Braly
25. Susan Wojcicki
26. Queen Elizabeth II
27. Julia Gillard
28. Nancy Pelosi
29. Arianna Huffington
30. Yingluck Shinawatra
31. Kathleen Sebelius
32. Beyonce Knowles
33. Diane Von Furstenberg
34. Helen Clark
35. Georgina Rinehart
36. Amy Pascal
37. Margaret Chan
38. Jennifer Lopez
39. Sheri McCoy
40. Shakira
41. Mary Barra
42. Zhang Xin & family
43. Alice Walton
44. Laura Lang
45. Angela Ahrendts
46. Sue Naegle
47. Ellen DeGeneres
48. Safra Catz
49. Laurene Powell Jobs & family
50. Rosalind Brewer
51. Anna Wintour
52. Helene Gayle
53. Christiane Amanpour
54. Rosalia Mera
55. Cynthia Carroll
56. Cher Wang
57. Abigail Johnson
58. Padmasree Warrior
59. Chanda Kochhar
60. Gail Kelly
61. Margaret Hamburg
62. Ellen Kullman
63. Drew Gilpin Faust
64. Shari Arison
65. Mary Schapiro
66. Angelina Jolie
67. Miuccia Prada
68. Carol Meyrowitz
69. Ertharin Cousin
70. Sue Gardner
71. Joyce Banda
72. Sri Mulyani Indrawati
73. Bonnie Hammer
74. Chua Sock Koong
75. Sofia Vergara
76. Ho Ching
77. Tina Brown
78. J.K. Rowling
79. Chan Laiwa & family
80. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
81. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
82. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
83. Gisele Bundchen
84. Mary Meeker
85. Shaikha Al-Bahar
86. Marjorie Scardino
87. Solina Chau
88. Jan Fields
89. Weili Dai
90. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey
91. Sun Yafang
92. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi
93. Guler Sabanci
94. Greta Van Susteren
95. Mary Callahan Erdoes
96. Mindy Grossman
97. Patricia Woertz
98. Judith Rodin
99. Beth Brooke
100. Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani