Merkel tops Forbes 100 most powerful women list

LONDON - 2 November 2017: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has remained the most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes for the seventh year in a row, The Guardian reported.

The British prime minister, Theresa May, is in second place, despite a difficult year in which her party’s parliamentary majority was much reduced after her decision to hold a general election in June. May’s leadership during Brexit – a process that will have far-reaching consequences for the UK and the rest of Europe – ensures that despite her political fragility, she remains one of the world’s leading players.

May is followed by the philanthropist Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, and Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors.

The names on the list are drawn from seven “power bases” – billionaires, business, finance, media, politics, philanthropists/NGOs and technology. Together, the women directly influence more than 3 billion people, according to Moira Forbes, executive vice-president of Forbes Media.

New entries include Ivanka Trump (19), the daughter and adviser of Donald Trump, Nikki Haley (43), the US ambassador to the UN, and the actor Priyanka Chopra (97), also a Unicef goodwill ambassador.