World’s 10 Most Influential Women

Hillary Clinton

Probably one of the most recognized faces around the world, Hillary Clinton has to be the most popular First Lady of United States since its inception. Not only was she the First Lady from 1993 till 2001, she was also the first woman to be elected as the US Senator from the state of New York and went on to become the Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013! A lawyer by profession, she has led numerous battles on behalf of victims of child abuse and has been the voice of woman empowerment since her inception in the White House!

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, famously know as CFK, is the current president of Argentina and the wife of the late former president Néstor Kirchner. Other than leading South America’s second largest country, CFK is known in the global political circuit to nurture the country to the position it is today through a charade of economic slumps and other issues, bringing about a positive change with her improved game-plan! Following her late husband’s footsteps, she is thoroughly efficient at taking the country ahead, and her recent advancements have been for the betterment of the country!

Mary McAleese

Mary McAleese can be considered to be the perfect role-model and a benchmark for aspiring politicians, men and women alike! The president of Ireland, McAleese is known to spearhead Ireland towards economic and social prosperity. All thanks to her reign from 1997 till 2011, Ireland has been shaped into one of the fastest-growing economic countries in the world! Her influence over the masses was so high, that she did not see any opposition during re-elections. Now that’s what we call winning the crowd!

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League of Democracy for Burma is a woman of substance. For someone who has suffered terrible injustices for almost two decades and separated from her family, she exults strength and bravery beyond comprehension. Currently under house arrest for 15 years, her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights which is highly influenced by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has won accolades and appreciation world over. Her unconditional and staunch fight for justice has won her the Nobel Peace Prize Award as well!

Michelle Bachelet

Michelle Bachelet, the president of Chile from 2006 to 2010 has played a pivotal role in shaping up the current situation of Chile from a socio-economic point of view. A paediatrician and epidemiologist with studies in military strategy, she served as Health Minister and Defence Minister under her predecessor and went on to become the president. A native Spanish, she’s credited for being fluent in English, German, Portuguese and French. She’s credited in bringing Chile on the global platform by signing trading pacts with other countries all across the world and boosting the country’s economy and presence by leaps and bounds.

Dilma Rousseff

The current president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff commands respect and she has all the rights to! Born in an upper-middle class family, Dilma went on to become a socialist and join Marxist Urban Guerrilla groups that opposed the then military dictatorship in the 60’s and 70’s. She also got jailed and was tortured for her exploits from 1970 to 1972. After her release she went on to form the Democratic Labour Party and finally becoming the president in 2011! All thanks to her brilliant initiatives, Brazil is currently the world’s sixth largest economy clocking in a GDP of $2.4 trillion!

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf isn’t just the founder and the political leader of National Patriotic Front of Liberia, but also the current president of Liberia as well! A groundbreaking achievement by a woman, especially from the province of Africa, making her the first one ever to play a major political role in the African continent! Post her presidency, Ellen has been applauded for doling out policies for the betterment of the country and its people. Some of them cater to the domestic issues regarding debt relief, justice and gay rights! For someone who has assumed office since 2006, she has been re-elected for presidency again in 2011! She also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 jointly with Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakel Karman of Yemen.

Queen Rania of Jordan

Rania Al Abdullah, more famously known as Queen Rania of Jordan or the New-Age Mother Teresa, she is known for her extraordinary work in the fields of humanitarianism, socialism and philanthropy. A staunch believer in educating the masses, her work revolves around spreading quality education amongst the next generation of Jordanians. Her global agenda is equally commendable. A thriving attitude for global education, cross-cultural and inter-faith dialoguing and need to bring a stability in the World Economic Forum has been some of the astonishing things she has strived to achieve while essaying the role of a Queen. If kingdoms were to be brought back, she would be the benchmark for them all!

Sonia Gandhi

An Italian by birth leading the second largest country in the world is a commendable task in itself, and Sonia Gandhi proves to pull it off with ease. Widow to former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia took the seat to wield her late husband’s sword and bring about a change in the country. And her effectiveness is such that in 2010 she was re-elected for the fourth time and became the longest serving president in 125-year history of the congress party!

Angela Merkel

The Chancellor of Germany and the party leader of the Christian Democratic Union, she is also credited for being the president of the European Council and leading the G8 summit as the chairman, being the only second woman to do so after Margaret Thatcher! The de facto leader of the European Union, she is currently ranked as the World’s second most powerful person by Forbes! The highest achievement by a woman, ever. Her foreign policy have been lauded by all, especially her Liquidity crisis control during the global meltdown in 2006 in which she played a major role in stabilizing the global economy single-handedly! The Indo-German strategic partnership struck by her in 2006 also helped in the future cooperation with regards to science and technology, defence and energy has acted as a guide-book for other countries to follow!