Miss World? More like Madam President. Forbes named the most powerful women in the world [1], who have each had a direct hand in shaping 2019. From world leaders to musicians, actors, activists, and business execs, women from all corners of the globe have been highlighted for their impeccable leadership skill, business savvy, and philanthropic passion.
From ages 16 to 76, and with every continent represented, ageism and geography tremble in the face of these f*cking awesome females. Women in business dominated the list, from CEOs of Starbucks and Walt Disney to leaders of international banks and self-made billionaire founders. Female politicians were also a force to be reckoned with, as Forbes spotlighted world leaders from the UK, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Taiwan, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel — who was named 2019's most powerful woman in the world.
Next up, Forbes recognised our favourite celebrities doing major things, like Rihanna [2]'s revolutionary Fenty Beauty, Reese Witherspoon [3]'s support of female storytellers, Ava DuVernay [4]'s incredible directorial talent, and Greta Thunberg [5]'s inspiring call to action.
Ahead, see 2019's most powerful women in the world.
Angela Merkel
"Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany in 2005 and is serving her fourth term." — Forbes
- Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany
- Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank
- Nancy Pelosi, Speaker, United States House of Representatives
- Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission
- Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
- Melinda Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Abigail Johnson, CEO, Fidelity Investments
- Ana Patricia Botín, Executive Chairman, Santander
- Ginni Rometty, CEO, IBM
- Marillyn Hewson, CEO, Lockheed Martin
Oprah Winfrey
"Oprah Winfrey [7] has transitioned her hit talk show, which ran for 25 years, into a media and business empire." — Forbes
- Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO, Anthem
- Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTube
- Isabelle Kocher, CEO, ENGIE
- Safra Catz, CEO, Oracle
- Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
- Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture
- Emma Walmsley, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline
- Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
- Ruth Porat, Senior Vice President and CFO, Google
- Oprah Winfrey, Entrepreneur, Personality, Philanthropist
Sheikh Hasina Wajed
"Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh, is currently serving her fourth term." — Forbes
- Judith McKenna, CEO, Walmart
- Jessica Tan, Co-CEO, Ping An Insurance Group (Class A)
- Ho Ching, Executive Director and CEO, Temasek
- Phebe Novakovic, CEO, General Dynamics
- Shari Redstone, Shari Redstone
- Amy Hood, Executive Vice President and CFO, Microsoft
- Stacey Cunningham, President, NYSE Group
- Jessica Uhl, CFO, Royal Dutch Shell
- Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister, Bangladesh
- Adena Friedman, President and CEO, NASDAQ
Queen Elizabeth II
"On the throne for 67 years, Queen Elizabeth is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She has become much loved and respected globally" — Forbes
- Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO, J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, Chase
- Jane Fraser, President, Citigroup
- Laurene Powell Jobs and family, Founder and President, Emerson Collective
- Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister, India
- Marianne Lake, CEO of Consumer Lending, Chase
- Gina Rinehart, Executive Chairman, Hancock Prospecting
- Kathy Warden, CEO, President and Chairman, Northrop Grumman
- Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand
- Anne Finucane, Vice Chairman, Bank of America
- Queen Elizabeth II, Monarch, United Kingdom
Rosalind Brewer
"Brewer is the first woman and first African-American to serve as COO of Starbucks." — Forbes
- Tsai Ing-wen, President, Taiwan
- Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States
- Rosalind Brewer, COO, Starbucks
- Mingzhu Dong, Chairperson and President, Gree Electric Appliances
- Erna Solberg, Prime Minister, Norway
- Dana Walden, Chairman, Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment
- Vicki Hollub, CEO and President, Occidental Petroleum
- Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios
- Jennifer Morgan, Co-CEO, SAP SE
- Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, United Kingdom
Donna Langley
"As chairwoman of Universal Pictures, movie maven Langley has guided the studio to unparalleled growth." — Forbes
- Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Pictures, Comcast
- Thi Phuong Thao Nguyen, Cofounder and Chairman, Sovico Holdings
- Elvira Nabiullina, Governor, Central Bank of Russia
- Roshni Nadar Malhotra, CEO and Executive Director, HCL Enterprise
- Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX
- Tricia Griffith, President and CEO, Progressive Insurance Company Ltd.
- Maggie Wei Wu, CFO and Head of Strategic Investments, Alibaba Group
- Feng Ying Wang, CEO, Great Wall Motor Company Limited
- Lynn Good, Chairman, President and CEO, Duke Energy
- Paula Santilli, CEO, PepsiCo Latin America, PepsiCo
Rihanna
"Pop star Rihanna [8] has made a fortune from Fenty Beauty, the makeup brand she co-owns with luxury goods group LVMH." — Forbes
- Rihanna, Musician
- Melanie Kreis, CFO, Deutsche Post
- Hooi Ling Tan, Cofounder and COO, Grab Holdings Inc.
- Bonnie Hammer, Chairman, NBCUniversal Content Studios, Comcast
- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder, Chair and Managing Director, Biocon
- Beyoncé, Musician
- Zhou Qunfei, Founder and CEO, Lens Technology
- Sophie Wilmes, Prime Minister, Belgium
- Jane Jie Sun, CEO, Ctrip.com International
- Katharine Viner, Editor-in-Chief, Guardian News & Media
Ava DuVernay
"Filmmaker, producer and director DuVernay is the first black woman to be nominated by the Academy as a director in a feature category." — Forbes
- Taylor Swift [9], Musician
- Judy Faulkner, CEO and Founder, Epic Systems
- Güler Sabanci, Chairman and Managing Director, Sabanci Holding
- Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm
- Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister, Denmark
- Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Finance, Indonesia
- Andrea Marques de Almeida, CFO, Petrobras
- Solina Chau, Director, Li Ka Shing Foundation
- Ava DuVernay [10], Producer, Director
- Zuzana Caputova, President, Slovakia
Ana Brnabic
"Brnabic is the first female and first openly gay Prime Minister of traditionally conservative Serbia." — Forbes
- Serena Williams, Athlete, Tennis
- Mary Meeker, General Partner, Bond Capital
- Lam Wai Ying, Chairman, Biel Crystal
- Raja Easa Al Gurg, Managing director, Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group
- Eliza Manningham-Buller, Chair, Wellcome Trust
- Jenny Lee, Managing Partner, GGV Capital
- Lee Boo-jin, President and CEO, Hotel Shilla
- Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister, Serbia
- Meg Whitman, CEO, Quibi
- Reese Witherspoon [11], Actress
Greta Thunberg
"In August 2018, the teen climate activist started skipping school to protest climate change inaction outside of the Swedish Parliament." — Forbes
- Anne Wojcicki, Cofounder and CEO, 23andMe
- Aileen Lee, Founder and General Partner, Cowboy Ventures
- Sahle-Work Zewde, President, Ethiopia
- Dominique Senequier, Founder and President, Ardian
- Kirsten Green, Founder and Managing Partner, Forerunner Ventures
- Renuka Jagtiani, Chairwoman and CEO of Landmark Group
- Rania Nashar, CEO, Samba Financial Group
- Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
- Margarita Louis-Dreyfus and family, President, Louis Dreyfus SAS
- Greta Thunberg [12], Climate Activist