Forbes Lists Top 100 Most Powerful Women

By Erin Abrams (New York City)

This week, Forbes magazine released its annual ranking of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. There were a few newcomers and surprises this year on the list, along with some women with staying power near the top of the list.Topping the list for the third year in a row and holding the title of world’s most powerful woman is Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, though only number 28 on the list, is the most high profile woman included, due to the media scrutiny surrounding her hotly contested bid for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.

This year’s list features many powerful women in the fields of business, finance and law among the top 10. Number 2 on the list is Sheila Bair, the Chairman of the FDIC. Ms. Bair’s position has been increasingly prominent in the last year, as six banks have failed, and turned to the FDIC as the last stop on the solvency train. With the demise of banking giant Indymac in July 2008, the FDIC with Ms. Bair at the helm has its work cut out.

Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, is another returner to the top 10 list, clocking in this year at number 3. She has continued to grow the $39 billion worldwide food and beverage company through strategic acquisitions and new product offerings. Strategies include expansion into international markets and new products designed to target consumers with a healthy lifestyle. She has also been a highly visible champion of embracing diversity in a corporate setting.

Angela Braly, CEO and President of Wellpoint, returns to the list at number 4. Despite breaking the glass ceiling in the health insurance industry to become the first female CEO of a major company in that field, she still earned $26 million less than her male predecessor. An attorney by training, Ms. Braly made the leap to Wellpoint in 2001 when Wellpoint acquired her employer, Blue Cross. The 35 million member insurer has had problems of late though, watching share prices fall as they have had to revise earnings to account for additional claims.

Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American in the U.K., clocked in a number 5. Ms. Carroll started out her career with Amoco in 1981, and spent 17 years at aluminum producer Alcan before becoming the first woman and the first non-South African to lead mining giant Anglo American in 2006. She recently inked a $5.5 billion iron ore deal with Brazil.

Rounding out the top ten were several other familiar female faces among the ranks of CEOs of multinational corporations. Irene B. Rosenfeld, Chairman and Chief Executive of industrial food giant Kraft Foods ranked sixth on the list. Ho Ching, Chief Executive of Temasek Holdings of Singapore and wife of the Prime Minister ranked seventh. Temasek was in the news recently when it purchased a 15% stake in Merrill Lynch in light of the bank’s subprime-related write downs. Anne Lauvergeon, Chief Executive of nuclear fuel company Areva in France, made the list at number 9, despite several nuclear fuel leaks that have incited fears throughout France. Finally, Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox made the cut again at number 10. Honored as Chief Executive of the Year, Ms. Mulcahy is credited with bringing the company back from the brink of collapse.

Take a look here to read more about the other phenomenal women in the top 100, including many successful business leaders in fields like technology, energy, banking, pharmaceuticals and health care. Also, check out this list of women to watch, for some more up-and-coming women in the world of finance, business and law, who have already made their mark.