Recently, Forbes compiled a list of the world's brightest and boldest women of 2016. Among them were Oprah Winfrey at #21, Queen Elizabeth II at #29 and Michelle Obama at #13. This top 10 is fuming with women of confidence, wit, cojones...
And guess what?
Each of them could care less if Joe Shmoe called them a b****.
1. Angela Merkel - Chancellor, Germany
Merkel is a strong, steady leader who has combated economic and humanitarian disasters, despite political backlash. Most stood dumbfounded as a quiet woman who achieved a master of science studying physics and a doctorate in quantum chemistry... somehow broke through the ranks of male-dominated German politics becoming Germany's first female chancellor and one of the leading figures of the European Union. Merkel was widely known for her caution in politics until she threw open Germany's doors to one million refugees.
In other words: Angie broke boundaries literally and figuratively.
2. Hillary Clinton - Presidential candidate, United States
She's actually done it all; secretary of state, first woman to serve as a U.S senator from New York, first lady of the United States, first lady of the state of Arkansas, a practicing lawyer and law professor, social justice activist and a volunteer. Hillary was instrumental in restoring America's standing across the globe, visiting 112 countries and helping to shape the global conversation. She has been a forceful champion for LGBT rights, and made advancing the status of women and girls around the world a core part of United State foreign policy, breaking barriers from stopping women from reaching their full potential.
In other words: No-Chillary Clinton.
3. Janet Yellen - Chair, Federal Reserve, Washington, United States
Yellen is a leading American economist, becoming the first woman to earn chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in 2014. On her hard-fought and well earned journey to the top, she graduated summa cum laude from Brown University with a degree in economics, received her Ph.D from Yale University, served as professor at the University of California, Berkeley, served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers for President Bill Clinton, and became the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She laid the groundwork for the Fed's commitment to maintain inflation at 2 percent, arguing successfully that seeking to eliminate inflation completely would do more harm than good.
In other words: she knows your money better than you do... and she's a low-key genius.
4. Melinda Gates - Cochair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United States
Widely known as Bill's better half, Melinda has made it her mission to eradicate global poverty through initiatives in education, healthcare and human connection. She and Bill, the wealthiest couple in the world, have a combined net worth of over $85.7 billion. However, the pair has pledged to give away 95 percent of their wealth through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Most notably yearning to break the cycle of poverty for families and opportunities for women, she is fiercely promoting a plan to provide access to contraceptives for an additional 120 million women in the world's poorest countries by 2020.
The first time Bill Gates asked Melinda out on a date, she turned him down.
In other words: As an american businesswoman, philanthropist and billionaire crusader, Melinda has proved she is anything but a wife in the shadows.
5. Mary Barra - CEO, General Motors, United States
A 36-year-veteran of General Motors and the first female chief operating officer of any major automaker, CEO Mary Barra is paving the way for a wicked comeback for her company. Just two years ago, General Motors was plagued with the recall of 30 million cars after faulty ignition switches. She began as an intern with the company and climbed the corporate ladder through dedication and hard work. She was chosen for her position due to her "breadth and depth of experience, her managerial skills, her interpersonal skills...her understanding of our internal machinations," says former GM CEO Dan Akerson.
In other words: don't think for a second that an internship is nothing more than a few coffee runs...
6. Christine Lagarde - Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, France
Christine Lagarde became no stranger to the "first woman to..." label. As the first woman to serve as France's finance minister and first woman in the Group of Eight countries to become Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Lagarde holds the controversial view that France's 35 hour work week was a symbol of indolence. She is an outspoken advocate for perseverance in the work room and a sturdy work ethic, a sentiment that was mirrored by the French Business Community. Never afraid to speak her mind, she blamed the 2008 worldwide financial crisis partly on the male-dominated, testosterone-fuelled culture at global banks.
In other words: no slacking off in the work room with this rock star.
7. Sheryl Sandberg - COO, Facebook, United States
Business leader Sheryl Sandberg is the chief operating officer of a little known company called Facebook and best selling author of "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will To Lead." A Harvard graduate, former Department of Treasury employee under the Clinton administration, and former Google V.P. of global online sales & operations, Sandberg built a reputation as one of the top executives in the country. As COO, she is massively expanding Facebook's global footprint.
In other words: this woman has worked her way to the top of two different powerful tech companies and continues to radically change women's position in the workforce.
8. Susan Wojcicki - CEO, Youtube, Google, United States
Susan Wojcicki has been with Google since its beginning, working out of her garage for the first few months as the company's 16th employee. She was at the helm of spearheading Google's Youtube purchase (Youtube was, at the time, Google Video's most promising competitor).
In other words: Susan is urging her company’s creative community to use its powerful voice to affect change in the wake of recent violence across the United States.
9. Meg Whitman - CEO, Hewlett-Packard, United States
Corporate executive Meg Whitman earned her bachelors at Princeton, her MBA at Harvard, held high profile positions at big firms like Disney, Stride Rite, FTD and Hasbro, worked with Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, advised John McCain in the 2008 election, served as CEO for eBay for 10 years and brought the small company's sales from $86 million to $7.7 billion a decade later, before finally becoming CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
In other words: Let it be known that this billionaire bussineswoman and right wing conservative is throwing all her support to the Clinton campaign.
10. Ana Patricia Botin - Chair, Santander Group, Banco Santander, Spain
In other words: Like father, like daughter.
