Forbes generates all sorts of lists – America’s Most Trustworthy/Most Promising Companies, America’s Best Employers, World’s Most Powerful People, and America’s Top Colleges are just a small sampling of their rankings.
The list that caught my eye last month was Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. It’s a combination of entrepreneurs, celebrity role models, CEOs, and billionaire activists. Here are just a few of the women taking the world by storm these days:
#3 Melinda Gates – Part of an incredibly active philanthropist power couple, Ms. Gates uses her family’s wealth to impact communities around the world. She and her husband are co-founders of the Gates Foundation, said to be the largest private foundation in the world. Its primary goals are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty globally. In America they work to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.
#6 Christine Lagarde – Ms. Lagarde was the first woman to become the Finance Minister of France (in office June 2007 – June 2011) and is currently the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF is an international organization of 188 countries working together to foster successful economic conditions and reduce poverty around the world. Ms. Lagarde is the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund.
#10 Michelle Obama – As first lady of the United States, Ms. Obama has a wide influence when it comes to issues she believes in. Her “Let’s Move” initiative targets childhood obesity in America by encouraging healthier food in schools, better food labeling, and more physical activity. In Southeast Asia Ms. Obama worked toward an initiative to expand girls’ access to education. She’s also been a vocal proponent of acceptable care for military veterans as well as support for their families.
#12 Oprah Winfrey – Ms. Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi and survived a traumatic childhood to go on to become an extraordinarily successful talk show host. She’s expanded her success into owning her own television network, films, and publishing. By 2012 she had donated about $400 million to educational causes. She also contributed $12 million to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened in South Africa in 2007, thanks in large part to her $40 million donation and time dedicated to its success. Today the school provides state-of-the-art education for 450 girls.
#20 Marillyn Hewson – After thirty years at Lockheed Martin, Ms. Hewson was selected in 2013 as CEO of the world’s largest defense contractor. To maintain the company’s value in the face of declining U.S. defense spending, Ms. Hewson cut costs and expanded into growing industries such as cybersecurity and alternative energy. She is their first female CEO.
#34 Loretta Lynch – Ms. Lynch is the first African-American woman in U.S. history to be sworn in as Attorney General. Within a week of her Senate approval, Ms. Lynch introduced a program to expand President Obama’s proposed plan for police body cameras. More recently she fined five major banks for rate rigging. Ms. Lynch also served two terms as U.S. Attorney under appointments from President Clinton and President Obama.
#41 Queen Elizabeth II – As of September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II will be the longest reigning monarch in over 1,200 years of British history. She is the world’s oldest monarch, but no one can accuse her of refusing to change with the times. Queen Elizabeth II was the first queen to send an e-mail, and last year she posted her first Tweet.
#46 Drew Gilpin – Ms. Gilpin is the president of Harvard University. As such, she oversees a faculty of 13,000 and a student body of 21,000. She is the first woman to lead Harvard University since its establishment in 1636. Ms. Gilpin is the author of six books and a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
#89 Patricia Harris – Ms. Harris is the CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, a foundation charged with distributing most of Michael Bloomberg’s wealth (considered the 14th richest man in the world with a net worth of approximately $37 billion). Ms. Harris directs major giving in public health, the environment, education, government innovation, and the arts. She distributed $462 million last year and plans to disburse $500 million this year.
These are just nine out of the hundred women on this list whose accomplishments are celebrated in Forbes. It’s a pretty amazing group of women.
Riddle from the Middle 