German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped Forbes‘ list of world’s most-powerful women for the ninth year running. The publication, which annually compiles a list of influential women leaders from around the world in politics, business and entertainment, hailed Merkel for her steely reserve.
The 65-year-old was praised for standing up to US President Donald Trump and for allowing over a million Syrian refugees into Germany.
Following Merkel was Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank. Lagarde, who earlier served as MD of the International Monetary Fund, rose to the second spot in the list after standing at number 22 last year on the same list.
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, too, found a spot on Forbes’ list. She stood at number 34, ranking ahead of Queen Elizabeth II, who is at number 40, and Ivanka Trump, who stood at number 42.
Environmentalist Greta Thunberg, who was recently named Time’s Person of the Year, stood at the 100th spot on Forbes’ list.
In 2018, Merkel topped the Forbes list for the impact she had as a leader on Christian Democratic Union, and for her work as a chancellor.
Divas Of Tech: Women Who Broke Barriers & Made It Big
The Transformers
8 Mar, 2019
Women are going places – and there is no denying that.From classrooms to boardrooms, many women in the world of technology have proved their merit. Famous names like Debjani Ghosh, Padmasree Warrior and Sheryl Sandberg made it big, and have been an inspiration to the womankind.On International Women’s Day, here’s a list of women who have managed to break the stereotype and carve a niche for themselves. (In Pic: From left: Debjani Ghosh, Padmasree Warrior, Sheryl Sandberg)
Debjani Ghosh – President, NASSCOM
8 Mar, 2019
For the first time in three decades, NASSCOM appointed their first ever women President, Debjani Ghosh, in April 2018. She has been a strong advocate of gender diversity in the workplace. Before taking up the NASSCOM responsibility, she had worked with Intel Corporation for nearly two decades. A veteran in the field of technology, her endeavour is to make the domain of technology a level playing field. She plans to stress on innovation and skill development to enable individuals and enterprises to make the most of AI and Machine Learning. Her appointment to this position is a huge step in the direction of including women in the higher rungs of technology, which is otherwise male dominated.
Deepa Madhavan – Director, Global Data Governance and Reg Tech, PayPal
8 Mar, 2019
With the tech industry experiencing rapid growth, Deepa Madhavan believes that it’s the right time for women to join forces to ensure a fair say in decision making. Before joining PayPal, Madhavan worked with Deloitte, and took a break to raise her three children. Deepa Madhavan, who has a Bachelors in Economics and a Masters in Computer Science, is also the force behind causes like ‘Girls In Tech’ and ‘Unity’.
Padmasree Warrior – Tech Evangelist
8 Mar, 2019
As her name suggests, Padmasree is a true warrior. A role model for girls, she is the former CEO of NIO U.S., a Chinese electric car company which is considered Tesla’s biggest rival. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Microsoft and Spotify. In the past, Warrior has also worked with Cisco and Motorola. Motorola Inc received a National Medal of Technology in 2004 when she was the CEO of the company. With 1.46 million followers on Twitter, she continues to mentor scores of women who dream of building a career in the field of technology.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra – CEO, HCL Corporation
8 Mar, 2019
Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the HCL heiress and an IT stalwart. Born to Shiv Nadar and Kiran Nadar, Roshni was always sure of being a part of the empire that her parents created. She provides strategic guidance to HCL and is also closely associated with the philanthropic arm of the IT conglomerate. She manages to strike the perfect balance between her work, personal life and philanthropic activities with ease and efficiency. She became the CEO of the organisation at 28, and took a break when she became a mom to two doting sons. Promoting diversity in HCL is one of her biggest goals, and she hopes to see more women in the domain of technology.