Proud Be A Girl - existence.EXPLORED

Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress party which is leading the federal government of India and Indra Nooyi, the chairperson of the food and beverage giant PepsiCo. feature among the top ten most powerful women in the world list published by US business magazine Forbes.

While Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the UPA Government at the Center, was placed at No.6 in the list, Nooyi secured the fifth position.

Topping the list for a second year in a row is Angela Merkel, the first woman to become chancellor of Germany. "She continued to impress the world with her cool leadership at two back-to-back summits," Forbes said.

"She stuck to her principles, getting G-8 leaders to agree to significant cuts in carbon emissions, among other things. She later corralled European Union countries into an agreement on a treaty to replace the E.U. constitution," the magazine said.

"And, Merkel is hardly the only woman making waves on the international stage. There are just 53 Americans on our list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women, attesting to the growing power of women worldwide. More women than ever before are running entire countries, not just companies and foundations," it said.

Other women to make it to the top 5 were Chinese vice premier Wu Yi at No.2, Ho Ching, chief executive of Temasek Holdings, Singapore's largest business conglomerate, at No.3 and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at No.4.

Cynthia Carroll, chief executive of Anglo-American, one of the world's largest mining companies, at No.7; Patricia A. Woertz, chairperson, Archer Daniels Midland, the $37 billion agribusiness giant at No.8; Irene Rosenfield, chief executive of food giant Kraft Food at No.9 and Patricia Russo, chief executive of telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent at No.10 completes the top 10 list.

Describing Wu Yi, the magazine said, "[she] continues to help lead a government that oversees an economy whose gross domestic product may soon eclipse Germany's, making it the third-biggest economy in the world."

"Wu recently stared down U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson when he made myriad demands, including a revaluation of the yuan, in recent strategic economic talks with the U.S.," the magazine noted.

About Ho Ching, Forbes said that in spite of being the wife of "the prime minister of Singapore and chief executive of the country's state-owned investment company, Ho Ching is rarely seen or heard."

"But increasingly she is a force to be reckoned with, as her dealmaking ambitions span the globe," the magazine noted.

"Ho Ching has been credited with converting Temasek from a Singapore-focused firm to a leading investor in Asia, making investments in Indian and Chinese companies, primarily in the telecom and banking sectors," Forbes said. "Thanks to Ho Ching's dealmaking, the net value of Temasek's portfolio grew 27 percent to $108 billion from $80 billion the previous year," it added.

About Condoleezza Rice, the Forbes said that though "Rice sits at the center of the negative reaction worldwide to the Bush administration's policies," yet "she still routinely polls higher than her boss."

"Rice continues to sally forth in regions riven by the worst political and religious pathologies. That includes tackling the nuclear aspirations of Iran and North Korea; helping to broker the ceasefire in the war between Israel and Lebanon; and her shuttle diplomacy in the ceaseless turmoil between Palestine and Israel," the magazine said.

"Highly visible, Rice is at the same time curiously inscrutable. Known for her almost chilly, unwavering self-discipline, Rice has historically exhibited an iron faith in her own beliefs. But recently she has shown some flexibility. After initially siding with the neoconservatives who disdained talking to the U.S.'s enemies, Rice seemed to be returning to her realist roots, advocating talks with Iran and Syria," it added.

About Nooyi, the magazine said, "Nooyi has been steadily consolidating her power at PepsiCo, one of the largest companies in the world with $35 billion in annual revenue and a $105 billion market capitalization."

"Last February Nooyi added the title of chairman to her chief executive position at the food-and-beverage giant, maker of Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods; a whopping 17 PepsiCo brands each generate $1 billion or more in annual sales," it noted.

"Nooyi has pushed PepsiCo to move beyond soda, first by helping to start the company's fast-food chains in 1997, and later by spearheading the purchase of Tropicana in 1998. In an effort to offset slowing business in the Gatorade division, Nooyi advocates vitamin and energy-infused water drinks," the magazine added.

Describing Gandhi, the Forbes magazine said, "the Italian-born leader of India's most powerful political party, the Indian National Congress Party, has come far since entering politics in the 1990s."

"She is widely revered by her fellow countrymen, especially among India's poor as well as its vast agricultural population," the magazine said.

"Gandhi is continuously concerned that India's rapid economic growth is leaving the poor behind, and that her country is not doing enough to help its farmers. She has opposed a government plan to introduce special economic zones to encourage foreign investment in the country," it noted.

The magazine also made a mention about her clout in Indian politics, noting that "Gandhi stood up to politically powerful opponents in blocking their attempt to nullify an anti-corruption law meant to curb corruption among the country's massive bureaucracy."

The Indian lawmakers also recently elected her choice for president, Pratibha Patil – the first woman president of India, the magazine said.

Describing it as "a historic vote seen as a step forward for India's women and girls who endure daily discrimination," the magazine said, "The vote, however, saw angry allegations leveled against Patil, over purported corruption and criminal activity in her family."

The third Indian to make it to the high-profile list is Vidya Chhabria, chairperson of the $2-billion Dubai-based Jumbo Group at No.97, two rungs lower than last year. The Jumbo Group is a business conglomerate comprising of 28 companies having presence in 50 countries. Its interest range from consumer durables, chemicals, machinery and liquor to agriculture. The Jumbo group is best-known for Jumbo Electronics, one of the world’s largest distributors of consumer electronics, information technology, telecom products and home appliances.

Nooyi, too, has slipped by one place, from fourth last year but Gandhi's ranking has jumped by seven notches from 13th last year. Two other Indian women, Lalita Gupte and Kalpana Morparia of ICICI Bank, ranked No.93 last year, do not figure in this year's top 100 power list.

Forbes said its ranking procedure starts with a list of women who have crossed certain thresholds, most of whom run companies, governments or non-profit organizations or are very close to the top.

"A handful have established power bases in other ways (an entertainment entrepreneur, a judge and an author have been on the list). The power ranking score is based on a composite of visibility (measured by press citations) and economic impact," it said.

"This year's list includes 30 women in the top echelons of government, up from 24 in last year's ranking. In the past 12 months Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became president of Liberia, Michelle Bachelet president of Chile and Han Myung-sook South Korea's first female prime minister," the magazine said.

"Women are also flexing their muscle in other ways. Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner for competition, recently made headlines for slapping around software giant Microsoft (fine: $358 million). Meanwhile, Melinda Gates is overseeing a $30 billion donation from Warren Buffett to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," it said.

 Source - ibtimes.com