Powerful women take bow on Forbes list

Forbes’ highly regarded — and truly prestigious – list of, ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ was issued today, and it contains some quite interesting numbers…

The list is focused on influence, not money or fame. Thus the names featured on it are women whose influence is shown by their total press coverage and/or the size of the company — or in some cases, nation – of which they have charge.

And the first name on Forbes’ list (here Forbes.com) may well surprise you — For her fourth year in a row, German chancellor Angela Merkel heads up the pack. Facing reelection next month, the 55-year old leader has spent a turbulent year skillfully steering the world’s fourth-largest economy through some of the choppiest waters that nation has seen.

Second is FDIC head, Sheila Bair, whose place is unchanged despite an economic implosion which required her and her team to both absorb and revive over seventy banks, locking horns in the process with Fed boss, Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner.

The chairwoman of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi is third, while Nancy Pelosi scores 34, one slender place above Hillary Clinton. But both ladies still manage to outscore Michelle Obama, whose passionate support of working women and military families is rewarded with a debut at 40.

Next to her comes the woman whom most might expect to be first on this list — the iconic Ms. Oprah.

If you ever use Yahoo, you might be encouraged to know that’s now run by a woman as well; Carol Bartz was appointed their CEO in late January to succeed Jerry Yang, taking her bow on the list at a very strong 12th.

And in tangible proof that Forbes magazine make their minds up a lot quicker than Congress, Supreme Court debutante, Sonia Sotomayor steps onto the list in a very respectable 52nd place.

For the first time this year, media figures were not allowed on this list…But you can bet it will still cause debate.

Source: MSNBC