According to Forbes’ latest update of the list of most powerful females on earth, scooper bring to you the top five most powerful and influential women in the world today. They are:
Angela Merkel (Chancellor, Germany)
Now Aged 66, Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany in 2005 and is serving her fourth term. In November 2018, she stepped down as leader of the Christian Democratic Union and announced she wouldn’t seek another term as chancellor in 2021. She also remains the de facto leader of Europe, leading the region’s largest economy after steering Germany through financial crisis and back to growth. Her leadership is marked by her steely reserve, from standing up to Donald Trump to allowing more than a million Syrian refugees into Germany. An October 2020 survey found 75% of adults in 14 European countries trust Merkel more than any other leader in the region. The big question that the public is now asking is who and what will come after Merkel’s time in office comes to an end.
Christine Lagarde (President, European Central Bank)
Being 64 years of age now, Lagarde became the first woman to head the European Central Bank on November 1, 2019. As head of European monetary policy, Lagarde faces a critical test: ensuring the coronavirus pandemic does not wreak further havoc on the Eurozone. “I think 2021 will certainly be a difficult first half of the year,” she predicted in November 2020. From 2011 until mid-2019, Lagarde ran the International Monetary Fund that works to ensure the stability of the global monetary system. She was the first woman to hold that position. On the 10-year anniversary of the 2008 bank collapse, Lagarde pointed to “groupthink” in the male-dominated industry and called for gender reform. She is French!
Kamala Harris (Vice President-elect, United States)
On November 7, 2020, Harris became the first woman in American history elected to the vice presidency.
She’s no stranger to firsts: In 2016, Harris was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the United States Senate.
And in 2010, Harris became the first African-American and first woman to serve as California’s attorney general.
Harris is a California native; she was born in Oakland to immigrant parents (her mom was from India and her dad was from Jamaica). As a Howard University alumna, Harris will be the first graduate of a historically Black college or university to hold the vice presidency. She is 56 Years Old.
Ursula von der Leyen (President, European Commission, European Union)
Ursula von der Leyen is German but lives in Belgium, aged 62. She was appointed president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, in July 2019. She is the first woman to serve in the role, which is responsible for legislation affecting more than 700 million Europeans. From 2005 until 2019, von der Leyen served in Angela Merkel’s cabinet–the longest tenure of any cabinet member. For the last six years of her time in the cabinet, she was Germany’s defence minister. In September 2020, in her first state of the union speech as commissioner, she spoke out against anti-LGBTQ policies in Poland.
Melinda Gates (Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
Melida is the wife of American billionaire Bill Gates. She is 56 and maintains her position as the most powerful woman in philanthropy as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Founded in 2000, it’s the world’s largest private charitable foundation with a $40 billion trust endowment. She’s increasingly visible in shaping foundation strategy, solving tough global challenges from education and poverty to contraception and sanitation. As part of the foundation’s mission to help all people lead healthy, productive lives, she has devoted much of her work to women’s and girls’ rights. In her next chapter, Gates’ mission is to close the funding gap for female founders, through her investment and incubation company, Pivotal Ventures.
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