Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman makes it to Forbes 2020 list of 100 most powerful women

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman placed Forbes on the list of the 100 most influential women in the world for the second year in a row.

U.S. Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris, Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HCL Enterprise CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra have also been named in the list headed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the 10th year in a row.

This year, Sitharaman is ranked 41st on the ranking. She was ranked 34 in 2019.
“There are 10 Heads of State, 38 CEOs and five entertainers among them, but where they differ in age, nationality and job description, they are united in the way they have used their platforms to address the unique challenges of 2020,” Forbes said.

Nadar Malhotra ranked 55th, Mazumdar-Shaw – described as “India’s richest self-made woman – ranked 68th and chairwoman of the Landmark Party, Renuka Jagtiani, ranked 98th.

Women on the 17th anniversary of Forbes

Merkel ranks No. 1 in a row for the tenth year. “Merkel remains Europe’s de facto leader, heading the region’s largest economy by steering Germany through the financial crisis and back to prosperity. Her leadership is characterised by her steely reserve, from standing up to Donald Trump to allowing more than a million Syrian refugees to join Germany,” Forbes said, adding: “The main question the public is now asking is who and what will happen when Merkel takes office.”

Harris, who became the first woman, first Black American and first Asian American to be elected vice president — “an unprecedented trifecta of firsts for California Senator Harris”, is ranked third on the list.

Harris’s “rapid ascension in U.S. politics has also catapulted” her onto the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women for the first time. European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde is ranked second for the second straight year.

“From fighting the pandemic to re-engineering American politics, these influential women, including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, are making history,” Forbes said.

Several of this year’s Power Women received “global plaudits” for their effective responses to COVID-19.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (No. 32) vanquished a first and second wave of the virus in her country by implementing strict lockdown and quarantine procedures.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen (No. 37) implemented a rigorous contact-tracing program in January, as a result, to date, the island of 23 million people has lost only seven lives to the virus, Forbes said.

There are 17 newcomers on this year’s list, illustrating that women are “leading all aspects of a society transformed by a global pandemic”.

New CEO of American multinational company United Parcel Service Carol Tomé (No. 11) and head of California-based Clorox Linda Rendle (No. 87) are responsible for helping provide essential services that have kept Americans connected and clean.

CVS Health executive vice-president and incoming CEO Karen Lynch (No. 38) leads the pharmacy giant’s vast Covid-19 testing programme and, in 2021 will be responsible for its critical handling of coronavirus vaccines.

The list also includes Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates (5), US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (7), Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg (22), Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (39), UK’s Queen Elizabeth II (46), celebrated artistes Rihana (69) and Beyonce (72).