The Bangladeshi PM, a Saudi billionaire and the President of The Bangladeshi PM, a Saudi billionaire and the President of Mauritius are just a few Muslim women mentioned in Forbes 13th annual World’s 100 Most Powerful Women and we couldn’t be more proud.
According to Forbes, “The number of women leaders in the world has more than doubled since 2005,” which explains why most women mentioned in the list play a vital role in their country.
What’s even more interesting that “this elite group [of women] governs or directly influences more than 3.6 billion people.” That is half the world’s population! If that doesn’t impress you, we don’t know what will.
Taking the 36th spot on the list, Sheikh Hasina Wajed is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, running for the second time. She was first elected PM in 1996. She commands a country with the world’s eighth largest population. This is her second mention in the Forbes’ list, she was previously ranked 59 last year.
Coming in at 43, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi is the Minster of State for Tolerance in the UAE. In 2004, She became the first woman in the country’s history to assume a cabinet position. Her first mention on the list was in 2015 ranked at 42.
Hailing from Saudi Arabia, Olayan has been ranked 65 on the list for being one of the most influential businesswomen in the Middle East. In 2004, she became the first woman elected to a board position in the Kingdom. She was ranked 67 in 2015.
Ranked 91, Raja Easa Al Gurg is a Dubai-based businesswoman who has played a significant role in the support and encouragement of Arab women entrepreneurs. She is the managing director of multidivisional conglomerate, Easa Saled Al Gurg Group. She ranked 2 in Forbes Middle East list of Most Powerful Arab Women, 2015. Last year she ranked 97 on the World’s Most Powerful Women list.
Sri Mulyani ranked 37 on the latest list; The 53-year-old is the current
managing director of the World Bank, following her previous stints as Indonesia’s coordinating minister of economic affairs and minister of finance.
This is the fifth year in a row that Sri Mulyani has made the list. She ranked 31st last year.
These women have worked hard to get where they are and have rightfully earned their place on this list. Next year, we hope women from Pakistan make it on the Forbes list. Here’s to seeing women changing the way people perceive gender roles.
The World's 100 Most Powerful Women
| Rank | Name | Age | Country | Category | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Angela Merkel | 61 | Germany | Politics | |
| #2 | Hillary Clinton | 68 | United States | Politics | |
| #3 | Janet Yellen | 69 | United States | Finance and Investments | |
| #4 | Melinda Gates | 51 | United States | Philanthropy/NGO | |
| #5 | Mary Barra | 54 | United States | Automotive | |
| #6 | Christine Lagarde | 60 | France | Economy | |
| #7 | Sheryl Sandberg | 46 | United States | Technology | |
| #8 | Susan Wojcicki | 47 | United States | Technology | |
| #9 | Meg Whitman | 59 | United States | Technology | |
| #10 | Ana Patricia Botín | 55 | Spain | Finance and Investments | |
| #11 | Ginni Rometty | 58 | United States | Technology | |
| #12 | Park Geun-hye | 64 | South Korea | Politics | |
| #13 | Michelle Obama | 52 | United States | Politics | |
| #14 | Indra Nooyi | 60 | United States | Diversified | |
| #15 | Angela Ahrendts | 56 | United States | Technology | |
| #16 | Abigail Johnson | 54 | United States | Finance and Investments | |
| #17 | Tsai Ing-wen | 59 | Taiwan | Politics | |
| #18 | Michelle Bachelet | 64 | Chile | Politics | |
| #19 | Federica Mogherini | 42 | Italy | Politics | |
| #20 | Safra Catz | 54 | United States | Technology | |
| #21 | Oprah Winfrey | 62 | United States | Media & Entertainment | |
| #22 | Helen Clark | 66 | New Zealand | Philanthropy/NGO | |
| #23 | U.S. Supreme Court Justices | - | United States | Politics | |
| #24 | Marillyn Hewson | 62 | United States | Manufacturing | |
| #25 | Arundhati Bhattacharya | 60 | India | Finance and Investments | |
| #26 | Aung San Suu Kyi | 70 | Myanmar | Politics | |
| #27 | Ruth Porat | 58 | United States | Technology | |
| #28 | Anna Wintour | 66 | United States | Media & Entertainment | |
| #29 | Queen Elizabeth II | 90 | United Kingdom | Politics | |
| #30 | Ho Ching | 63 | Singapore | Diversified | |
| #31 | Adena Friedman | 46 | United States | Finance and Investments | |
| #32 | Irene Rosenfeld | 63 | United States | Diversified | |
| #33 | Loretta Lynch | 57 | United States | Politics | |
| #34 | Ursula Burns | 57 | United States | Technology | |
| #35 | Lucy Peng | 43 | China | Technology | |
| #36 | Sheikh Hasina Wajed | 68 | Bangladesh | Politics | |
| #37 | Sri Mulyani Indrawati | 53 | Indonesia | Philanthropy/NGO | |
| #38 | Margaret Chan | 68 | China | Philanthropy/NGO | |
| #39 | Drew Gilpin Faust | 68 | United States | Philanthropy/NGO | |
| #40 | Chanda Kochhar | 54 | India | Diversified | |
| #41 | Samantha Power | 45 | United States | Politics | |
| #42 | Pollyanna Chu | 58 | Hong Kong | Finance and Investments | |
| #43 | Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi | 54 | United Arab Emirates | Politics | |
| #44 | Amy Hood | 44 | United States | Technology | |
| #45 | Beth Comstock | 55 | United States | Diversified | |
| #46 | Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović | 48 | Croatia | Politics | |
| #47 | Bonnie Hammer | 65 | United States | Media & Entertainment | |
| #48 | Ertharin Cousin | 59 | United States | Philanthropy/NGO | |
| #49 | Laurene Powell Jobs | 52 | United States | Technology | |
| #50 | Nicola Sturgeon | 45 | Scotland | Politics | |
| #51 | Gina Rinehart | 62 | Australia | Metals & Mining | |
| #52 | Bidya Devi Bhandari | 54 | Nepal | Politics | |
| #53 | Dana Walden | 51 | United States | Media & Entertainment | |
| #54 | Phebe Novakovic | 57 | United States | Diversified | |
| #55 | Marissa Mayer | 41 | United States | Technology | |
| #56 | Elvira Nabiullina | 52 | Russia | Finance and Investments | |
| #57 | Rosalind Brewer | 53 | United States | Diversified | |
| #58 | Peng Liyuan | 53 | China | Politics | |
| #59 | Nemat (Minouche) Shafik | 54 | United Kingdom | Finance and Investments | |
| #60 | Mary Callahan Erdoes | 48 | United States | Finance and Investments | |
| #61 | Zhou Qunfei | 46 | Hong Kong | Technology | |
| #62 | Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao | 46 | - | Diversified | |
| #63 | Dong Mingzhu | 62 | - | Manufacturing | |
| #64 | Güler Sabanci | 61 | Turkey | Diversified | |
| #65 | Lubna S. Olayan | 60 | Saudi Arabia | Diversified | |
| #66 | Susan Cameron | 57 | United States | Diversified | |
| #67 | Donna Langley | 48 | United Kingdom | Media & Entertainment | |
| #68 | Katharine Viner | 44 | United Kingdom | Media & Entertainment | |
| #69 | Feng Ying Wang | - | China | Automotive | |
| #70 | Arianna Huffington | 65 | United States | Media & Entertainment | |
| #71 | Diane von Furstenberg | 69 | United States | Fashion and Retail | |
| #72 | Dalia Grybauskaitė | 60 | Lithuania | Politics | |
| #73 | Tory Burch | 49 | United States | Fashion and Retail | |
| #74 | Mary Jo White | 68 | United States | Politics | |
| #75 | Kaci Kullmann Five | 65 | Norway | Philanthropy/NGO | |
| #76 | Gwynne Shotwell | 52 | United States | Construction & Engineering | |
| #77 | Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw | 63 | India | Healthcare | |
| #78 | Zanny Minton Beddoes | - | United Kingdom | Media & Entertainment | |
| #79 | Miuccia Prada | 67 | Italy | Fashion and Retail | |
| #80 | Folorunsho Alakija | 65 | Nigeria | Energy | |
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