Top 100 Most Powerful Women | 2010 female power elite

Forbes releases its 2010 rankings, with "a true change-maker" topping the list

When it comes to power, cultural impact means as much as money and political influence.
Forbes' power lists are synonymous with moguls and movie stars, heads of state and captains of business. One look at the 2010 World's 100 Most Powerful Women list and it is clear that we've come up with a new ranking of the female power elite that reflects the New Order of now.
When we set out to identify this year's list, we decided it was time to look up and out into the broader culture. Our assessment is based less on traditional titles and roles and more on creative influence and entrepreneurship. These power women have built distinctive companies and brands and championed weighty causes, sometimes through unconventional means; in other cases they have broken through gender barriers.

Michelle Obama

• Age: 46
• Title: First Lady
• Residence: Washington, DC
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: JD , Harvard University; LLM, Harvard University; BA/BS, Princeton University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

 

Irene Rosenfeld

• Age: 57
• Title: Chief Executive, Kraft Foods
• Residence: Kenilworth, IL
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Cornell University; PHD, Cornell University; MS, Cornell University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Oprah Winfrey

• Age: 56
• Title: Talk show host and media mogul
• Source: television, self-made
• Residence: Chicago, IL
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Tennessee State University
• Marital Status: Single

Angela Merkel

• Age: 56
• Title: Chancellor
• Country of citizenship: Germany
• Marital Status: Married

Hillary Clinton

• Age: 62
• Title: Secretary of State
• Residence: Chappaqua , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Wellesley College; LLM, Yale University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Indra Nooyi

• Age: 54
• Title: Chief Executive, PepsiCo
• Residence: Purchase, NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Yale University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Lady Gaga

• Age: 24
• Title: Singer and performance artist
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: Dropout , New York University
• Marital Status: Single

Gail Kelly

• Age: 54
• Title: Chief Executive, Westpac
• Country of citizenship: Australia
• Education: BA/BS , University of Cape Town
• Marital Status: Married

Beyonce Knowles

• Age: 29
• Title: Singer, fashion designer
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married

Ellen DeGeneres

• Age: 52
• Title: Talk show host
• Residence: Beverly Hills , CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married

Nancy Pelosi

• Age: 70
• Title: Speaker of the House
• Residence: San Francisco , CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Trinity Washington University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 5

Angela Braly

• Age: 49
• Title: Chief Executive, Wellpoint
• Source: insurance, self-made
• Residence: Indianapolis, IN
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: JD , Southern Methodist University; BA/BS, Texas Tech University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Janet Napolitano

• Age: 52
• Title: Secretary, Homeland Security
• Residence: Washington, DC
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Santa Clara University; JD, University of Virginia
• Marital Status: Single

Cynthia Carroll

• Age: 53
• Title: Chief Executive, Anglo American
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Harvard University; BA/BS, Skidmore College; MS, University of Kansas
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 4

Sheila Bair

• Age: 56
• Title: Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Residence: Washington, DC
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of Kansas; LLM, University of Kansas
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Sarah Palin

• Age: 46
• Title: Political maverick and commentator
• Residence: Wasilla, AK
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of Idaho
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 5

Mary Schapiro

• Age: 55
• Title: Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission
• Residence: Wilmington , DE
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Franklin & Marshall College; JD, George Washington University
• Marital Status: Married

Ellen Kullman

• Age: 54
• Title: Chief Executive, DuPont
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Northwestern University; Tufts University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Sonia Sotomayor

• Age: 56
• Title: Supreme Court Justice
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Princeton University; JD, Yale University
• Marital Status: Single

Ursula Burns

• Age: 51
• Title: Chief Executive, Xerox
• Residence: Norwalk, CT
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MS , Columbia University; BA/BS, Polytechnic Institute
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Angelina Jolie

• Age: 35
• Title: Actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 6

Katie Couric

• Age: 53
• Title: News anchor
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of Virginia
• Marital Status: Widow
• Children: 2

Kathleen Sebelius

• Age: 62
• Title: Secretary, Health & Human Services
• Residence: Topeka, KS
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Trinity College Connecticut; MBA, University of Kansas; BA/BS, Trinity Washington University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Anne Lauvergeon

• Age: 51
• Title: Chief Executive, Areva
• Residence: Paris ,
• Country of citizenship: France
• Education: PHD , Ecole Normale Superieure
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Elena Kagan

• Age: 50
• Title: Supreme Court Justice
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: LLM , Harvard University; MA, Oxford University; BA/BS, Princeton University
• Marital Status: Single

Patricia Woertz

• Age: 57
• Title: Chief Executive, Archer Daniels Midland
• Residence: Decatur, IL
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 3

Melinda Gates

• Age: 46
• Title: Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Residence: Medina, WA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Arianna Huffington

• Age: 60
• Title: Founder and editor-in-chief, Huffington Post
• Residence: Los Angeles , CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MA , Girton College, Cambridge University
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 2

Madonna

• Age: 52
• Title: Singer, fashion designer
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 4

Ho Ching

• Age: 57
• Title: Chief Executive, Temasek Holdings
• Country of citizenship: Singapore
• Education: MS , Stanford University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 4

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

• Age: 77
• Title: Supreme Court Justice
• Residence: Washington D.C., DC
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: LLM , Columbia University; BA/BS, Cornell University; N/A, Harvard University
• Marital Status: Widow
• Children: 2

Maria Ramos

• Age: 51
• Title: Chief Executive, Absa Group Banks
• Residence: Johannesburg ,
• Country of citizenship: South Africa
• Education: MS , University of South Africa
• Marital Status: Married

Chelsea Handler

• Age: 35
• Title: Talk show host and author
• Residence: Los Angeles , CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Single

Tina Brown

• Age: 56
• Title: Cofounder and editor-in-chief, The Daily Beast
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

• Age: 42
• Title: First Lady
• Residence: Paris ,
• Country of citizenship: France
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Lynn Laverty Elsenhans

• Age: 54
• Title: Chief Executive, Sunoco
• Residence: Philadelphia , PA
• Country of citizenship: United States

Elizabeth Warren

• Age: 61
• Title: Assistant to the President and Special Adviser to the Secretary of Treasury
• Residence: Cambridge , MA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: JD , Rutgers University; BA/BS, University of Houston
• Marital Status: Married

Ana Patricia Botin

• Age: 49
• Title: Chair, Banesto bank
• Residence: Madrid ,
• Country of citizenship: Spain
• Children: 3

Heidi Klum

• Age: 37
• Title: Model and producer
• Residence: Los Angeles , CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 4

Meredith Vieira

• Age: 56
• Title: Co-anchor
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Queen Elizabeth II

• Age: 84
• Title: Monarch
• Source: investments, real estate, inherited
• Residence: London ,
• Country of citizenship: United Kingdom
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 4

Carol Bartz

• Age: 62
• Title: Chief Executive, Yahoo!
• Residence: Sunnyvale, CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Christine Lagarde

• Age: 54
• Title: Finance Minister
• Residence: Paris ,
• Country of citizenship: France
• Education: MA , Institut d'etudes politiques d'Aix-en-Provence
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Sallie Krawcheck

• Age: 45
• Title: President, Global Wealth & Investment Management, Bank of America
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Columbia University; BA/BS, University of North Carolina
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Sarah Jessica Parker

• Age: 45
• Title: Actor and fashion designer
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Diane Sawyer

• Age: 64
• Title: News anchor
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Wellesley College
• Marital Status: Married

Meg Whitman

• Age: 54
• Title: Gubernatorial candidate, California
• Source: Ebay, self-made
• Residence: Atherton, CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Harvard University; BA/BS, Princeton University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Marina Berlusconi

• Age: 44
• Title: Chair, Mondadori and Fininvest Group
• Residence: Milan ,
• Country of citizenship: Italy
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Stephenie Meyer

• Age: 36
• Title: Author
• Residence: Cave Creek, AZ
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Brigham Young University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Rachel Maddow

• Age: 37
• Title: Talk show host
• Source: television, self-made
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: PHD , Oxford University; BA/BS, Stanford University

Carly Fiorina

• Age: 56
• Title: Senatorial candidate, California
• Residence: Palo Alto, CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married

Guler Sabanci

• Age: 54
• Title: Chair, Sabanci Holding
• Source: , inherited
• Residence: Istanbul ,
• Country of citizenship: Turkey
• Education: BA/BS , Bogazici University
• Marital Status: Single

Maria Shriver

• Age: 54
• Title: First Lady, California
• Residence: Brentwood, CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Georgetown University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 4

Carol Meyrowitz

• Age: 56
• Title: Chief Executive, TJX companies
• Residence: Framingham, MA
• Country of citizenship: United States

Serena Williams

• Age: 28
• Title: Athlete
• Residence: Palm Beach Gardens , FL
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Single

Anna Wintour

• Age: 60
• Title: Editor-in-Chief, Vogue
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 2

Andrea Jung

• Age: 52
• Title: Chief Executive, Avon Products
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Princeton University
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 2

Julia Gillard

• Age: 48
• Title: Prime Minister
• Residence: Canberra,
• Country of citizenship: Australia
• Education: BA/BS , University of Melbourne
• Marital Status: Single

Abigail Johnson

• Age: 48
• Title: President, Fidelity Personal, Workplace and Institutional Services
• Source: Fidelity, inherited and growing
• Residence: Boston , MA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Harvard University; BA/BS, Hobart and William Smith
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Venus Williams

• Age: 30
• Title: Athlete
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Single

Suze Orman

• Age: 59
• Title: Author and personal finance guru
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of Illinois at Urbana

Tarja Halonen

• Age: 66
• Title: President
• Residence: Helsinki,
• Country of citizenship: Finland
• Education: LLM , University of Helsinki

Marjorie Scardino

• Age: 63
• Title: Chief Executive, Pearson PLC
• Residence: London ,
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Baylor University; LLM, University of San Francisco
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Mary McAleese

• Age: 59
• Title: President
• Residence: Dublin ,
• Country of citizenship: Ireland
• Education: LLM , Queen's University Belfast
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Annika Falkengren

• Age: 48
• Title: Chief Executive, SEB
• Residence: Stockholm ,
• Country of citizenship: Sweden
• Education: BA/BS , Stockholm University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Sheryl Sandberg

• Age: 41
• Title: Chief Operating Officer, Facebook
• Residence: Palo Alto, CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Cathleen Black

• Age: 66
• Title: Chair, Hearst Magazines
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Trinity Washington University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Cristina Fernandez

• Age: 57
• Title: President
• Residence: Buenos Aires ,
• Country of citizenship: Argentina
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Anne Sweeney

• Age: 52
• Title: Co-chair, Disney Media Networks
• Residence: Burbank, CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MA , Harvard University; BA/BS, The College of New Rochelle
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi

• Age: 51
• Title: Minister of Economy
• Residence: Dubai ,
• Country of citizenship: United Arab Emirates
• Education: BA/BS , California State Chico

Chua Sock Koong

• Age: 51
• Title: Group Chief Executive, Singapore Telecommunications
• Country of citizenship: Singapore
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Gisele Bundchen

• Age: 30
• Title: Model and fashion designer
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: Brazil
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Christiane Amanpour

• Age: 52
• Title: Anchor
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of Rhode Island
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned

• Age: 50
• Title: First Lady
• Residence: Doha ,
• Country of citizenship: Qatar
• Marital Status: Married

Susan Ivey

• Age: 51
• Title: Chief Executive, Reynolds American
• Residence: Winston Salem, NC
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of Florida; MBA, Bellarmine University
• Marital Status: Married

Queen Rania Al Abdullah

• Age: 40
• Title: Monarch
• Residence: Amman ,
• Country of citizenship: Jordan
• Education: BA/BS , American University

Nancy McKinstry

• Age: 51
• Title: Chief Executive, Wolters Kluwer
• Residence: Wassenaar,
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Columbia University; BA/BS, University of Rhode Island
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Rachael Ray

• Age: 42
• Title: Talks show host and author
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States

Nikki Finke

• Age: 56
• Title: Founder and blogger, Deadline Hollywood Daily
• Residence: Los Angeles , CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Wellesley College
• Marital Status: Divorced

Johanna Sigurdardottir

• Age: 67
• Title: President
• Residence: Reykjavik ,
• Country of citizenship: Iceland

Jing Ulrich

• Age: 43
• Title: Managing director and chair, China Equities and Commodities, J.P. Morgan Chase
• Residence: Hong Kong,
• Country of citizenship: United States

Laura Sen

• Age: 54
• Title: Chief Executive, BJ's Wholesale Club
• Residence: Natick, MA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Boston College

Laura Chinchilla

• Age: 51
• Title: President
• Residence: San Jose ,
• Country of citizenship: Costa Rica
• Education: MA , Georgetown University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Mary Callahan Erdoes

• Age: 43
• Title: Chief Executive, Asset Management, JP Morgan Chase
• Residence: New York , NY
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Janet L. Robinson

• Age: 60
• Title: Chief Executive and President
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

• Age: 71
• Title: President
• Residence: Monrovia,
• Country of citizenship: Liberia

Amy Pascal

• Age: 52
• Title: Co-Chair, Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Residence: Los Angeles , CA
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of California at Los Angeles
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Tory Burch

• Age: 44
• Title: Fashion designer
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , University of Pennsylvania
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 3

Shikha Sharma

• Age: 49
• Title: Chief Executive, Axis Bank
• Residence: Mumbai ,
• Country of citizenship: India

Sun Yafang

• Age: 54
• Title: Chair, Huawei Technologies
• Residence: Guangdong,
• Country of citizenship: China

Vera Wang

• Age: 61
• Title: Fashion designer
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Chanda Kocchar

• Age: 48
• Title: Chief Executive, ICICI Bank
• Residence: Mumbai ,
• Country of citizenship: India
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Danica Patrick

• Age: 28
• Title: Race car driver
• Residence: Phoenix , AZ
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married

Maha Al-Ghunaim

Age: 50

• Title: Cofounder and chair, Global Investment House
• Residence: Safat,
• Country of citizenship: Kuwait
• Education: BA/BS , San Francisco State University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 4

Dilma Rousseff

• Age: 62
• Title: Presidential candidate
• Residence: Brasilia,
• Country of citizenship: Brazil
• Education: BA/BS , Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 1

Donna Karan

• Age: 61
• Title: Fashion designer
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Widow
• Children: 3

Angela Ahrendts

• Age: 50
• Title: Chief Executive, Burberry Group
• Residence: London ,
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Ball State University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Ellen Alemany

• Age: 54
• Title: Chief Executive, Citizens Financial Group
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: MBA , Fordham University
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

Martha Stewart

• Age: 69
• Title: Lifestyle Guru
• Source: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, self-made
• Residence: Bedford, NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Education: BA/BS , Barnard College
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: 1

Dominique Senequier

• Age: 57
• Title: Chief Executive, AXA Private Equity
• Residence: Paris ,
• Country of citizenship: France
• Education: DIPL , Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne; MA, University of Sorbonne
• Marital Status: Married