The World's 10 Most Powerful Women - 2010

Forbes reveals its Annual list of the Most Powerful Women in the world for 2010

1. Michelle Obama

• Age: 46
• Residence: Washington, DC
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Angela Merkel was born in Angela Dorothea Kasner in Hamburg Germany, on 17 July 1954.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was born in Chicago, Illinois on the city's South Side, on January 17, 1964.

Michelle Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States - Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States. She is also a lawyer and a former Chicago city administrator and community outreach worker.

She is the mother of two daughters - Malia and Sasha

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 1st Most Powerful Woman in the world





2. Irene Rosenfeld

• Age: 57
• Residence: Kenilworth, IL
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Irene Blecker Rosenfeld was born in Brooklyn, on May 3, 1953. She is the CEO of Kraft Foods Inc since June 2006. She was appointed to the additional post of Chairman in March 2007. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Cornell University Board of Trustees.

She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and Statistics, an MBA, and a B.A. degree in Psychology from Cornell University.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 2nd most powerful woman in the world

3. Oprah Winfrey

• Age: 56
• Residence: Chicago, IL
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Single
• Children: A child when she was 14 years old who died after two weeks

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi USA, on January 29, 1954 to an impoverished Baptist family.

She is an American television host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated talk show in U.S. TV history.

In 2009, Oprah will take control of the Discovery Health cable TV network, and convert it to Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

Time Magazine named Oprah as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th century.

Oprah Winfrey's Support of Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential Race.

She is Graduated from Tennessee State University in 1976 with a degree of B.A in Speech and Performing Arts.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 3rd most powerful woman in the world

4. Angela Merkel
• Age: 56
• Country of citizenship: Germany
• Marital Status: Married

Angela Merkel was born in Angela Dorothea Kasner in Hamburg Germany, on 17 July 1954.

She studied physics at the University of Leipzig, earning a doctorate in 1978, and later worked as a chemist at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences (1978–1990).

She married the physics student Ulrich Merkel, but got divorced in 1982. In 1988 she is married to a chemistry professor from Berlin, Joachim Sauer. The couple do not have any children.

In 1990 she joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) political party and soon after was appointed to Helmut Kohl's cabinet as minister for women and youth. Following his defeat in the 1998 general election, she was named Secretary-General of the CDU.

She was chosen party leader in 2000 and ran unsuccessfully for chancellor in 2002. In the 2005 election she narrowly defeated Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, winning by just 3 seats, and after the CDU agreed a coalition deal with the Social Democrats (SPD), she was declared Germany's first female chancellor.

In the elections of 27 September 2009, her party, the CDU, obtained the largest share of the votes, and formed a coalition government with the CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Her government was sworn in on 28 October 2009.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 4th most powerful woman in the world

5. Hillary Clinton

• Age: 62
• Residence: Chappaqua , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Hillary Diane Rodham was born at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947. She is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama.

She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. She is the wife of the 42nd President of the United States - Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

In the 2008 election, Clinton was a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

She is Graduated from Wellesley College, J.D. from Yale University Law School with a degree of B.A, where she was on the Board of Editors for the Yale Law Review.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 5th most powerful woman in the world

6. Indra Nooyi

• Age: 54
• Residence: Purchase, NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 2

Angela Merkel was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, on October 28, 1955. She spent her childhood in Chennai. Her father worked at the State Bank of Hyderabad and her grandfather was a district judge.

Indra Nooyi is the Newly appointed Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PepsiCo Incorporated On August 14, 2006 - The world's second-largest soft drink maker.

Before joining PepsiCo in 1994, Indra Nooyi was Senior Vice President of Strategy and Strategic Marketing for Asea Brown Boveri, and Vice President and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning at Motorola.

She received a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Madras Christian College in 1974 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (MBA) from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1976.

She was admitted to Yale School of Management in 1978 and earned a Master's degree in Public and Private Management from Yale University.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 6th most powerful woman in the world

7. Lady Gaga

• Age: 24
• Residence: New York , NY
• Country of citizenship: United States
• Marital Status: Single

Stefani Germanotta was born in New York City, on March 28, 1986 to an Italian American family.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta better known by the stage name Lady Gaga, is an American recording artist. She began performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side in 2003. At the age of 17, Stefani was admitted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

Lady GaGa got her name when the producer Rob Fusari compared her vocal style to that of Freddie Mercury and took the nickname from the Queen song 'Radio GaGa'.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 7th most powerful woman in the world

8. Gail Kelly

• Age: 54
• Country of citizenship: Australia
• Marital Status: Married

Gail Kelly was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on 25 April, 1956. She is an Australian and South African business person.

In 2002 she became the first woman CEO of a major Australian bank or top 15 company and, as at 2005, was the highest paid woman at an Australian corporation. She took up the position of CEO at Westpac in 2008.
 
Kelly started work at the Nedcor Bank as a teller but was fast-tracked into an accelerated training program. She started an MBA in 1986 while pregnant with her oldest daughter and graduated with distinction in 1987. In 1990, she became head of human resources at Nedcor after having given birth to triplets five months earlier.

The Kellys were becoming disillusioned with South Africa in the middle of the 1990s and were looking to move to a different country. In June 1997, she flew to Sydney where she held interviews with four of the major banks and was appointed to a senior position at the Commonwealth Bank in July 1997.

Kelly started work as the General Manager of Strategic Marketing in the Commonwealth Bank in October 1997. By 2002, she was head of the customer service division responsible for running the Commonwealth Bank's extensive branch network.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 8th most powerful woman in the world

9. Beyonce Knowles

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

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, on born September 4, 1981 often known simply as Beyonce, is an American Pop/R&B Singer, Songwriter, Actress and Fashion designer.

She is the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager and Tina Knowles, a costume designer and hair stylist.

She began her career at the age of 7 when she auditioned for a role in a child singing group. The group was made up of her, Latavia Roberson, Beyonce's cousin, Kelly Rowland and LeToya Luckett.

Knowles began her acting career in 2001, appearing in the musical film Carmen - A Hip Hopera. In 2006, she starred in the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations.

In 2001, Beyonce won the Songwriter of the Year award, from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Pop Music Awards. She is the first African American woman and the second woman of any race to win the award.

On December 11, 2009, Billboard listed Knowles as the most successful Female Artist of the 2000s decade and the top Radio Artist of the decade. In February 2010, the RIAA listed her as the top certified artist of the decade.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 9th most powerful woman in the world

10. Ellen DeGeneres

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

Ellen DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, on January 26, 1958. She is an American stand-up comedian, Television Host and Actress.

She is the daughter of Betty Jane DeGeneres, a speech therapist, and Elliott DeGeneres, an insurance agent. She has one brother, Vance DeGeneres, who is a producer and musician. Her parents were divorced when she was 16 years old.

She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season.

DeGeneres has also made a name for herself as a host of awards shows. She hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and 1997, as well as the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2001 and 2005. In February 2007, she will have the ultimate TV awards show gig, hosting the Oscars.

DeGeneres graduated from Atlanta High School in May 1976, after completing her first years of high school at Grace King High School in Metairie, Louisiana. She moved back to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans, where she majored in communication studies. After one semester, she left school to do clerical work in a law firm with her cousin Laura Gillen.

In 2010, Forbes ranked her the 10th most powerful woman in the world

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