Recent Posts
Inspiration June 29, 2018
50 of the world's most powerful women.
Who runs the world? Girls! There are a countless number of hardworking and powerful women all around the globe. From positions in technology to art and even business, women are dominating. Look to these living, breathing examples of females following their passions despite the difficulties that may arise.
Angela Merkel is best known for being the first female chancellor of Germany. In addition to that amazing accomplishment, she was also instrumental in the creation of the European Union.
In her early years, Angela Merkel was a physician, before getting into the political field after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. What sparked her political position was joining the Christian Democratic Union. It was after this, in the year 2005, when Merkel won the spot of chancellor of Germany.
Sheryl Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook. She has held this position since 2008. Sandberg also served as the vice president of Google. For six years, she helped develop some of the leading advertising programs. Along with this accomplishment, Sandberg starter her own nonprofit organization called Lean In and became a bestselling author.
Christine Lagarde is a French lawyer. She first joined the French Government in June 2005, where she served as a Minister of Foreign Trade. Later on, she became the first female to work as a Minister of Finances and Economics. Throughout her life, Legarde has been in many impressive positions. She has become “the first woman to…” in many instances. Through perseverance, she kept following the life path that she wanted.
Ana Patricia Botín is a Spanish banker. An interesting fact about Botín is that she comes from four generations of bankers at the Santanders Group. Later on, she continued to grow the company by serving as chief executive of the bank in the United Kingdom.
Ever wonder who the higher ups at Pepsi Co are? Well, Indra Nooyi is the president and chief financial officer of the company. Nooyi has a sort of rags to riches story. As a college student, she left India and attended Yale University. There she had some difficulties financially. The Encyclopedia of World Biography gives one example of her not being able to afford a business suit, so she had to wear her sari everywhere.
Speaking of female powerhouses, Tsai Ing-wen is the very first female leader of Taiwan. One of the things she is most know for are her actions towards the President of the United States. She broke barriers by speaking directly to him. No leader of Taiwan had done this since 1979.
Isabelle Kocher is best known for her great achievements as a female CEO. She became the CEO of the world’s largest non-state owned electrical company called Engine. This fantastic French woman tries to focus on investing in renewable energy.
Chanda Kochhar is an Indian CEO of ICICI Bank. This leading lady is dedicated to her banking profession and worked her way to the top of the company. She went from being a trainee in 1984 to a CEO in 2009.
Miuccia Prada is an Italian fashion designer. Her name might sound familiar because she is responsible for the high-end fashion brand Prada. She got her start by taking over the luggage company that her family owned. She is an inspiration to stray away from trends, and follow your own heart.
You might know this next powerful female from the car you drive every day. Mary Barra is the CEO of General Motors. She is the first female to hold this position. This is especially impressive because the motor vehicle world tends to be male dominated.
Perhaps the youngest female on this list, Malala Yousafzai is known for her activism on a woman’s right to education. This 20-year-old woman has been through the worst of the worst, and she still manages to rise up with confidence and outstanding love.
You might know this well-versed female as the author of your favorite book series: “Harry Potter.” From a very young age, Rowling knew where her passion laid. She pursued this career and published her very first book in 1996, and sales blew up.
This Kenyan long-distance track star is zooming by the nation. One of the things she is the most known for is being the first African woman to win the New York City Marathon. Her leg stamina and perseverance are a powerful force to be reckoned with.
I am sure you are familiar with the name Oprah Winfrey. However, how did she become one of the most powerful females? Starting from the ground and moving upwards, her first job was as a new anchor. From there she went on to become a talk show host, best-selling author and philanthropist.
Hillary Clinton has made many first moves as a woman. One them includes being the first female Democratic Presidential nominee. She has also served as First Lady to her husband Bill Clinton, and has also been a lawyer.
This young actress is best know for her role as Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” films. However, she has done many other important things that benefit society. One is partnering with a fashion brand that promotes fair trade clothing.
Kathryn Bigelow is a powerful female filmmaker and screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for being the first woman to win and Academy Award for best director for the film “Hurt Locker.”
Beatriz Milhazes is a very talented painter from Brazil. Her art has a modern flare to it, along with vibrant colors. One of the ways the New York Times categorizes her as an artist is a “geometric abstractionist.”
Wangechi Mutu is an artist from Kenya. She specializes in multimedia art. One of the types she is most known for are her collages. She takes pictures from various magazines and compiles them into one phenomenal piece.
Michelle Obama is most known for her time spent as First Lady to Barack Obama. However, she has so many other accomplishments under her belt. Not only is she a lawyer, but she is also a writer. She is also a good role model and advocate for healthy eating and healthy lifestyles in and among families.
Rosalind Brewer is the president and CEO of the very large and successful Sam’s Club and Walmart stores. In addition to this, she is the first woman and the first African American to head up the company.
Ellen Sirleaf is the president of Liberia. She also was awarded with a Nobel Prize in 2011. This was due to her wonderful work reconciling the people of Liberia.
Everyone is probably aware of the world famous superstar Beyoncé. She has had multiple number one albums, performed for former president Barack Obama and even headlined the Super Bowl Half Time Show.
Ursula Burns is another very powerful female. Up until 2017 she served as chairman and CEO of the company Xerox. One of the amazing things she accomplished was being the first African American woman to head a Fortune 500 Company.
Ertharin Cousin is very instrumental in the political world. Some of her many titles include: foreign ambassador, food service executive and public affairs director. In addition to this, she also founded the Polk Street Group, an organization of public affairs.
Angelina Jolie is a world-famous actress. In addition to this, she is involved in a countless number of philanthropic organizations. She takes a lot of time to work with people facing difficulties like HIV, cancer, disaster relief and education inequalities.
Sofia Vergara is an actress originally from Columbia. She is most know for her role on the Emmy-winning TV show “Modern Family.” She has also acted in many comedic movies, showcasing her hilarious talent.
You might know this famous and powerful female musician from her hit songs “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.” Throughout her career Lady Gaga has shown incredible talent and has even been nominated for six Grammys.
Ellen Degeneres is a wonderful talk show host and is also instrumental in the LGBT community. In addition, she is one of America’s most well-known female comedians. Ellen was also the first person to headline a show where her character came out of the closet.
Shakira is a famous singer from Columbia. She has hit songs like “Hips Don’t Lie.” In addition to coming out with infectious music, she has many Grammys, Latin Grammys and American Music Awards.
Peng Liyuan is the First Lady of China. In addition to this, she is also a well-known folk singer. Something noteworthy is that her nickname is “The Peony Fairy.” She earned this name after she went to the China Central Television New Year’s Eve Gala.
Meryl Streep is a world-renowned actress. She has acted in around 60 films throughout her career. In addition to this, she has been nominated for an Academy Award 20 times.
Uzo Aduba is an American actress. She is most known for her role on the Netflix Original series “Orange Is The New Black.” She got her start on TV shows when she was on the hit show “Blue Bloods.” From there, her life took off. Along with a large fan base, Uzo was awarded an Emmy in 2014.
Chelsea Handler is an American comedian and talk show host. In addition to hosting, Chelsea has become a writer, an actress, and even a stand-up comedian. She has had success as a late night talk show host, and she even has her own Netflix show.
Alicia Keys is an American actress, singer and television star. She has won multiple Grammys from her singing career, and her debut album went platinum five times. Alicia Keys showed her passion for equality by walking in the Women’s March in 2017.
Jennifer Lopez, commonly know as “J-Lo” or “Jenny From The Block,” is a powerful actress and singer. She has been in multiple movies and also has a successful dance career. She was a judge on the TV show “American Idol” and produced the show “World of Dance.”
Madonna is known as a pop legend. One of her most popular songs is “Like a Prayer.” In the 1980s when the music industry was male dominated, Madonna rose above them and topped the charts.
Everyone probably knows that Queen Elizabeth II is a monarch of England. In fact, she is England’s longest reigning monarch. She has currently been in power for 66 years.
Sheikn Wajed is a politician in Bangladesh. She has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh two times. She was instrumental in trying wartime cases from the 1971 War of Independence.
Kersti Kaljulaid is the president of Estonia. Amazingly, she is the country’s first female president. One thing she helped with was making Estonia’s public services go digital.
Nicola Sturgeon is a Scottish minister and the leader of the Scottish National Party. She is also the first female leader of Scotland.
Nikki Haley, appointed by President Donald Trump, is the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. In addition to this great accomplishment, Nikki Haley also served as the governor of South Carolina.
Indira Gandhi served as the first prime minister of India. One of her main goals was to restore the farming industry in India.
Aretha Franklin is a famous American soul singer. In her career, she has won a number of Grammys. She started her official singing journey when she signed with Columbia Records.
Sandra Day O’Connor was a Republican Supreme Court Justice. During her appointment, O’Connor was considered a moderate conservative. Her term lasted for a total of 24 years.
Martha Stewart is a common name around some households. She is very active in the media, including TV shows and magazines. She writes various books on cooking entertaining and decorating. In addition to having several entertainment books published, and in 1991 Martha released her own magazine, “Martha Stewart Living.”
Susan Wojcicki is the chief executive for a company that many people use every day: She is in charge of YouTube. Before taking over YouTube, Susan worked as the marketing senior vice president of Google.
Sara Blakely is a well-known businesswoman. She is responsible for the creation of the product Spanx. This is a widely used brand of shapewear for women.
Tory Burch is the founder and designer of the popular, eponymous brand “Tory Burch.” Starting from the bottom, Tory climbed her way to the top of the fashion world.
Another known fashion designer is Diane Von Furstenberg. One of the things that she is most known for is her famous wrap dress design.
These wonderful and powerful women have all made a positive impact on the world. Their legacies, known or unknown, will help guide future generations.
