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Nirmala Sitharaman is now more powerful than Queen Elizabeth II: Forbes reveals...Check who are all in the list!

By alagu, 09 December, 2020
Forbes, Powerful women, Nirmala Sitharaman

Reputed global media company Forbes had on Tuesday announced its 17th annual ranking of the world's most powerful women in 2020 and the list has been crafted with the mixtures of influential heads of states, growing political leaders, and businesswomen who are decorating and creating an impact in the world amid the distressing times of the COVID-19 outbreak and falling economy. 

Forbes said that the ranking spotlights female leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs who are using their power and resources to make a lasting impact around the world. The ranking has revealed that India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is more powerful than Queen Elizabeth II as Nirmala Sitharaman was ranked in 41st place, which is five ranks ahead of the Queen of all Commonwealth realms. According to Forbes, the ranking recognizes the trailblazers who are deftly steering countries, constituents, and communities through one of the most tumultuous times in modern history. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped the list of 100 powerful women and she has been securing the top spot for the last ten years. Following Merkel, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has been ranked second in the list while U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has become a newcomer to the club and she has been ranked third in the list of top 100 powerful women in 2020. Kamala Harris will be serving as the first female Vice-President of the United States and is the first Black and Indian American to hold the position. 

Following Kamala Harris, President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who is responsible for legislation affecting more than 700 million Europeans, is spotted at the fourth spot while Melinda Gates, who is the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,  has become the fifth powerful woman in the world in 2020. Mary Barra, who is the Chief Executive of General Motors, has been ranked at sixth place and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is the top Democrat, has reserved her berth as the seventh powerful woman in the world. 

Ana Patricia Botin, who is the Executive Chairman of Spanish Financial giant Santander Group, has been ranked in eighth place while Abigail Johnson, the chairman of Fidelity Investments, has been ranked ninth in the list and the Chief Executive of Anthem, Gail Boudreaux is spotted at the tenth place. Some of the other notable faces who decorated the club are motivational speaker and author Oprah Winfrey, who has been ranked at 20, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (32), President of New York Stock Exchange Stacey Cunningham (35), Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed (39), India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (41), and Queen Elizabeth II (46). 

Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg has earned 52nd rank while  HCL Chief Roshini Nadar Malhotra is spotted at 55th rank. Notable Indian entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar- Shaw has been ranked 68 and reputed singers Rihanna and Beyonce Knowles ranked 69 and 72 respectively. Popular Hollywood director Ava Duvernay has earned 79th rank while Taylor Swift has been ranked 82. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who is the youngest world leader, has got 85th rank, and one of the growing US political leaders Stacey Abrams has been ranked 100. Abrams is the founder of Fair Right, a voting rights organization based in Georgia. 

The ranking has three women in its club - Nirmala Sitharaman, Roshini Nadar Malhotra, and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. Moira Forbes, who is the Executive Vice President, Forbes, and Publisher, Forbes Women said, "Across all corridors of power, the leaders on this year's list of the 100 World's Most Powerful Women are rising to address the unprecedented challenges of 2020 head-on". "While COVID-19 has put hard-won gains achieved around gender equity at risk, this year's listees are solving for long-standing problems that require urgent action to move us all forward". 

Editor of Forbes Women, Maggie McGrath said, "From our first-ever female vice president-elect to the incoming first female CEO of a Wall Street bank, the women on this year's list are shaping history in unprecedented ways". McGrath stated, "The leaders, founders, and philanthropists on the 2020 Power women list are global models for steady and thoughtful leadership amid a crisis. Their continued power and influence in 2021 will help make the world a healthier and safer place for all citizens". To determine the rank with each category and in the overall rank on the list of 100, Forbes had applied four metrics- Money (GDP, revenue, or net worth), media mentions, impact (employee count and population), and spheres of influence. 

 

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