The World’s Youngest Most Powerful Women In 2016 | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

The World’s Youngest Most Powerful Women In 2016

Breaking barriers with gender and age.

39
The World’s Youngest Most Powerful Women In 2016
The Atlantic

Forbes released their annual “100 Most Powerful Women,” last week, which in itself is an accomplishment to recognize the top women who are influencing our society.

According to Forbes, the most powerful women this year are the “smartest and toughest female business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, philanthropists and CEOs making their mark in the world today.” They are women who are building billion-dollar brands, calling the shots in the financial markets, and crisscrossing the globe to broker international agreements and provide aid.

All these women’s accomplishments are incredible on their own, and even more so given how hard it can be to establish inroads into industries and job titles traditionally dominated by men.

After looking through the list, I wanted to focus on the youngest women that are in power. I think that youth can be a contributing factor to success because of the vision we have for the future and the energizing drive that is needed to make it.

Here are the eight youngest women on the Forbes’ list with the most power, in order from youngest to oldest:

#55 Marissa Mayer| CEO, Yahoo | Age 41

Four years after taking the helm at Yahoo, Marissa Mayer is overseeing a sale of the embattled tech pioneer's core business amid falling traffic and ad revenues. Much of Mayer's personal fortune comes from her 13-year stint at Google, where she was one of its first employees.

#19 Federica Mogherini | High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Union | Age 42

The foreign minister who works on behalf of 500 million citizens of the European Union, Federica Mogherini received praise for her role in helping to broker a historic missile agreement between Iran and six world superpowers in July 2015. She represents the EU on such hot button issues as the Ukrainian crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the influx of Mediterranean migrants, hundreds of whom have died at sea trying to reach Europe.

#35 Lucy Peng | CEO, Ant Financial Services, Alibaba Group | Age 43

Ant's latest fundraising gives the Alibaba offshoot a valuation of more than $50 billion, making it one of the most valuable privately owned companies. Lucy Peng, a cofounder of Alibaba, established the online financial services company in 2014 to cater to small businesses and "the little guys.”

#44 Amy Hood | Chief Financial Officer, Microsoft | Age 44

As the No. 2 at Microsoft, CFO Amy Hood helped to orchestrate $93.6 billion in revenue for the 2015 fiscal year, a $6.7 billion increase over the previous fiscal year.

#68 Katharine Viner | Editor in Chief, Guardian News & Media | Age 44

Katharine Viner became the first female editor-in-chief in the 195-year history of The Guardian in June 2015, when she assumed the helm of the London-based news organization.

#10 Jenny Lee | Managing Partner, GGV Capital | Age 44

Jenny Lee is one of the most respected investors in the Chinese tech scene. A former jet and drone engineer, she led a $10 million Series A round into Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle maker, Ehang, which raised another $42 million last year.

#41 Samantha Power | Ambassador, U.S. Permanent Representative, UN, United States | Age 45

Samantha Power, the youngest-ever U.S. ambassador to the U.N., is considered to be the moral compass of American diplomacy. Already widely known for her 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, she has been a powerful crusader for U.S. foreign policy as well as human rights and democracy since she took office in 2013.

#50 Nicola Sturgeon | First Minister, Scotland | Age 45

The First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which she first joined as a teenager, Nicola Sturgeon made headlines this spring after announcing that she's ready to renew Scotland's bid for independence, starting with coalescing the support needed for a majority vote.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

13864
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2732
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1663
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments