Forbes released the 18th annual Ranking of the World's Top 100 Women, with 40 CEOs, 19 world leaders, and 1 immunology professor on the list. Film director Ava Duvernay (No. 80) said: "Our experiences cannot be determined by what we are allowed to do. If there's one theme on the list, it's that these women are rewriting the rules of business, finance, and politics. Their jobs are needed now more than ever. ”
Changes and wind directions in the 2021 leaderboard
In 2021, the state of women's power around the world looks a little different than it did a year or two ago. First, women make up a place in the executive class — the highest number of 40 CEOs since 2015, and they regulate a record $3.3 trillion in revenue. But the number of female heads of state has decreased by 2 compared to a year ago. With Angela Merkel stepping down as Chancellor of Germany and saying goodbye to politics, the honor of first place for women in this year's Top 100 belongs to billionaire philanthropist: MacKenzie Scott.
McKinsey Scott.
As the third-richest woman in the world, it was her determination to donate that money in a meaningful and revolutionary way that set her apart from the competition. Scott single-handedly upended the model of billionaires donating wealth and supported causes that seemed to upend the status quo. "We're all trying to donate a fortune that's made possible by a system that needs change," Scott said. Behind her is U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, with third place being Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank.
Kamala Harris.
Christina Lagarde.
Although the 100 most influential women on the list come from 30 countries and regions and work in finance, technology, politics, philanthropy, entertainment and other fields, they are united by a sense of responsibility. The women on the list convey the idea that it is not enough to have money or power, but that one must make the most progress in creating lasting and meaningful change around the world with their wealth, voice, or public platform.
Rosalind Brewer, Starbucks' former chief operating officer, who began taking the helm of Walgreens in March, is the only black woman currently running S&P 500 as a champion of diversity in the workplace for years.
Rocharinde Brewer.
Özlem Türeci (48th), co-founder and immunologist of the German company BioNTech, is one of the 20 new entrants this year. She made her debut not only because she co-founded a biotech company, but also because she partnered with global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to lead the development of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Tanzania's new president, Samia Suluhu Hassan (No. 94), who played a role in implementing the COVID-19 agreement in the country, also made the list for the first time.
In addition, the 100th place on the list represents another microcosm of the dynamics of power: accountability for the industry. Facebook's "whistleblower" Frances Haugen exposed Facebook's algorithms that amplify hate speech, boldly pointing out the moral flaws of big tech companies, and became a watershed in the industry's transparency. The industry's enormous clout has long been unchecked, and while she doesn't plan to release a lot of data from her former employer, Facebook, she says she can't watch companies put profits ahead of people.
More power in a wider range of places
Women first always makes headlines, but the key takeaway for 2021 is that women are making an impact in more corridors of power and are more sustained than ever. From Wall Street to Hollywood, this year's listers have achieved awesome feats on their own, not to mention how difficult it is to enter a traditionally male-dominated industry itself.
Jane Fraser (No. 14), who took the helm of Citibank earlier this year, became the first female CEO of a major Wall Street bank in the United States, breaking the "glass ceiling" effect of a wall street bank. Reese Witherspoon (No. 74) and new billionaire Rihanna (No. 68) have become the highest-paid female talent in their fields by placing big bets, reshaping narratives, disrupting traditional business models, and setting new industry standards.
As the founder of Ark Investment Management, The new person on the list and the bright rising star of the financial circle, Cathie Wood (No. 53), has grown the asset management scale from more than $3 billion to more than $60 billion in one year through successful investments in cross-industry disruptive innovative technologies (such as artificial intelligence, robotics, energy storage, DNA sequencing, blockchain technology, etc.), known as the "female version of Buffett" and "The Queen of Investment".
Kathy Wood.
In the business world where women are often absent, we see a trend towards the rise of women in the future. Examples include Russia (central bank), Japan (governor of Tokyo), Singapore (large state-owned funds), Indonesia (state-owned oil and gas companies), Abu Dhabi (banking), Turkey (industrial and financial groups) and China (automobiles).
Rise to Power: Women to Watch in 2022
Every year, Forbes looks at women who are using their voices, resources, or public platforms to create lasting and meaningful change around the world, but the 100-place limit keeps many accomplished women from making the list. As a result, Forbes also lists women who are expanding their influence and are expected to make the list in 2022.
Mia Mottley: Barbados' first female prime minister, she led the island out of the British monarchy and began a new life in the republic.
Lynn Martin: The next president of the New York Stock Exchange, becoming the third female president in the history of the New York Stock Exchange.
Kathy Hochul: The first female governor in New York State history.
Nemonte Nenquimo: Ecuadorian women activist who created the Ceibo Alliance, which protects some 500,000 acres of Amazon rainforest and Waorani territory from oil exploitation, received the Goldman Prize and the UNITED Environment Programme's Champion of the Earth honor in December 2020.
News and image source: Forbes
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