--- title: "The Forbes List of the Most Powerful Women in the World ..." description: "Angela Merkel; Hillary Clinton; Melinda Gates; Janet Yellen; Mary Barra; More ..." url: "https://inspiration.allwomenstalk.com/the-forbes-list-of-the-most-powerful-women-in-the-world/" category: "inspiration" last_updated: "2026-05-29" --- # The Forbes List of the Most Powerful Women in the World ... Forbes magazine produces a fair few lists every year. They rank the rich, the influential, the risers and the losers, the best, the greatest ... I eagerly await the list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. Here is 2015's Top 50. ## 1. Angela Merkel ![Angela Merkel](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/ns/x7/bmg55r60559ac547579c7368951723_392x555.jpg) Politician Chancellor of Germany ## 2. Hillary Clinton ![Hillary Clinton](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/nq/a4/luzj9b4o559ac54a81391330887751_600x884.jpg) Politician Presidential Candidate ## 3. Melinda Gates ![Melinda Gates](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/si/a9/v1ix0aa3559ac549a4395622684227_600x867.jpg) Philanthropist Co chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ## 4. Janet Yellen ![Janet Yellen](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/xe/gr/ay8a5208559ac54eebbbc287058674_600x750.jpg) Financial Guru Chair, Federal Reserve ## 5. Mary Barra ![Mary Barra](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/yb/tc/es0ex6ql559ac5935dd1d989841485_534x712.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, General Motors ## 6. Christine Lagarde ![Christine Lagarde](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/do/qm/lan5i6xf559ac5be23919519552356_600x771.jpg) Businesswoman Managing Director, International Monetary Fund ## 7. Dilma Rousseff ![Dilma Rousseff](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/sp/e8/xfxvxr3d559adc58b33e7752627011_500x750.jpg) Politician President of Brazil ## 8. Sheryl Sandberg ![Sheryl Sandberg](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/kl/t2/n8orqjl4559ac54f43887661788877_600x773.jpg) Technology Guru COO, Facebook ## 9. Susan Wojcicki ![Susan Wojcicki](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/hq/xl/u4oft6xm559ac62d03995039406855_500x647.jpg) Technology Guru CEO, Google, YouTube ## 10. Michelle Obama ![Michelle Obama](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/lf/af/enx73ing559ac6571f647999095845_570x733.jpg) Politician First Lady, United States ## 11. Park Geun-Hye ![Park Geun-Hye](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/mj/me/vei3n27q559ac6bee2cd7309117501_600x806.jpg) Politician President of South Korea ## 12. Oprah Winfrey ![Oprah Winfrey](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/po/rk/ay2xpp0i559ac6ecc2035055763661_600x750.jpg) Media Personality Everything Oprah ## 13. Ginni Rometty ![Ginni Rometty](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/im/f3/lr85nrg1559ac7359fb7c523062208_600x694.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, IBM ## 14. Meg Whitman ![Meg Whitman](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/h5/iu/cluyh6jg559ac77621668842342640_600x600.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, Hewlett-Packard ## 15. Indra Nooyi ![Indra Nooyi](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/vy/j0/l0z2nhm4559ac7a41f02e361698281_600x868.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, PepsiCo ## 16. Christina Fernandez De Kirchner ![Christina Fernandez De Kirchner](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/i9/vc/hyqphlxf559ac7db510a1298140886_600x798.jpg) Politician President of Argentina ## 17. Irene Rosenfeld ![Irene Rosenfeld](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/gk/p4/eoi72tt4559ac8e839320713582927_500x642.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, Mondelēz International ## 18. Ana Patricia Botin ![Ana Patricia Botin](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/r0/ef/b55095df559ac9201e856785524378_600x752.jpg) Businesswoman Chairwoman of Santander Group ## 19. Abigail Johnson ![Abigail Johnson](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/pu/jq/xo0lgxup559ac952be85b412036411_600x900.jpg) Businesswoman President-CEO, Fidelity Investment ## 20. Marillyn Hewson ![Marillyn Hewson](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/sp/tu/qelfzeb2559ac992e4b31265379987_500x666.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, Lockheed Martin ## 21. Beyoncé Knowles ![Beyoncé Knowles](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/em/zt/oddme7ov559acb8597be4632035423_600x814.jpg) Celebrity Entertainer and entrepreneur ## 22. Marissa Mayer ![Marissa Mayer](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/zy/t8/bb76lf1r559acba2462c1808037612_600x900.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, Yahoo ## 24. Safra Catz Businesswoman Co-CEO, Oracle ## 25. Angela Ahrendts Businesswoman SVP Retail, Apple ## 26. Ellen Kullman ![Ellen Kullman](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/uz/ur/cjgsm65u559acce32e6c4963048040_427x644.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, El du Pont de Nemours ## 27. Michelle Bachelet ![Michelle Bachelet](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/hp/z0/p7ptvsc1559acd166686c182276429_600x756.jpg) Politician President of Chile ## 28. Anna Wintour Fashion Guru Artistic Director, Conde Nast Publications, Inc. ## 29. Ursula Burns ![Ursula Burns](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/ee/ms/l51j1xsn559acde3610c5919060081_600x900.jpg) Businesswoman Chair-CEO, Xerox ## 30. Arundhati Bhattacharya Businesswoman Chair-Managing Director, State Bank of India ## 31. Sri Mulyani Indrawati ![Sri Mulyani Indrawati](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/c4/mj/x3nq4n0u559ace8b29625683566866_600x840.jpg) Philanthropist Managing Director, World Bank ## 32. Ruth Porat ![Ruth Porat](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/we/ik/pjx1flki559aced6eab1a672025832_500x722.jpg) Businesswoman CFO, Google ## 33. Lucy Peng ![Lucy Peng](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/yf/dw/xvhg7302559acf7b46ea6392809269_500x759.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, Ant Financial Services, Alibaba Group ## 34. Loretta Lynch ![Loretta Lynch](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/wg/db/ok6sj7ts559acfd594e89665215400_600x832.jpg) Politician Attorney General, United States ## 35. Chanda Kochhar ![Chanda Kochhar](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/ke/cq/q5kogtow559ad03f34056033132619_500x596.jpg) Businesswoman CEO-Managing Director, ICICI Bank ## 36. Federica Mogherini ![Federica Mogherini](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/o3/l1/y9ljf7sr559ad0780656e158269444_525x632.jpg) Politician High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Union ## 37. Gina Rinehart Businesswoman Executive Chairman, Hancock Prospecting ## 38. Nancy Pelosi ![Nancy Pelosi](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/xm/cm/p0x8qs6d559ad12802c3c754970451_600x706.jpg) Politician Minority Leader, House of Representatives, U.S.A ## 39. Adena FRIEDMAN ![Adena FRIEDMAN](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/eh/mu/wnwxhqo9559ad1e99dd35196601207_407x611.jpg) Financial Guru Co-president, NASDAQ OMX Group ## 40. Ewa Kopacz ![Ewa Kopacz](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/x4/sw/yghu7xhx559ad22b5f667997408375_600x881.jpg) Politician Prime Minister of Poland ## 41. Queen Elizabeth II ![Queen Elizabeth II](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/pb/re/tv9ob1ji559ad2f17e4e3975291650_600x750.jpg) Monarch Head of State of UK ## 42. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi ![Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/tg/u6/udsnwlfe559ad7441bd4b497804489_366x500.jpg) Politician Minister of International Cooperation and Development, United Arab Emirates ## 43. Ho Ching ![Ho Ching](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/ye/us/iwcvaipb559ad8da740cc148604954_500x615.jpg) Businesswoman CEO, Temasek ## 44. Laurene Powell Jobs Businesswoman Founder and Chair, Emerson Collective ## 45. Renée James Businesswoman President of Intel ## 46. Drew Gilpin Faust ![Drew Gilpin Faust](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/sl/zs/pqfcn7tp559ad9af67715273097079_500x826.jpg) Philanthropist President, Harvard University ## 47. Ertharin Cousin ![Ertharin Cousin](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/bm/w3/oh0x3vnv559ada8bb8ea1368494388_511x645.jpg) Philanthropist Executive Director, World Food Program, United Nations ## 48. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ![Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/lt/ax/fgh7foc9559adb5e1ce46581319315_600x840.jpg) Politician Minister of Finance, Nigeria ## 49. Samantha Power ![Samantha Power](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/a1/kn/fi681m80559adbcbca7d1039923367_600x707.jpg) Politician Ambassador, U.S. Permanent Representative, UN, United States ## 50. Ellen Degeneres ![Ellen Degeneres](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/xm/wp/tvgm3dvb559adc2518c13800695307_600x600.jpg) Entertainer All round fab celebrity Two things I really like about the list. One, there are 19 newcomers in 2015, which means extra diversity and an implication that women are certainly not standing still. And two, did you notice how many of these women head up tech giants? That can only be a great thing, right? In a world where we are so reliant on technology, knowing there are women steering such a successful course is fabulous. You can read the full list here: [forbes.com](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2015/05/26/the-worlds-most-powerful-women-2015/). There's a profile of each lady if you want to know more. 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