Powerful Women

Perhaps as a way of commemorating the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's Death, Forbes Magazine released their annual list of the most powerful women in the world.

I was impressed that, of the top 25, thirteen (just over half) are Americans:

1. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State.
2. Indra K. Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo.
3. Patrica A. Woertz, Chair of ADM.
4. Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft.
5. Patricia Russo, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent.
6. Anne M. Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox.
7. Mary Sammons, CEO of RiteAid.
8. Brenda Barnes, CEO of Sara Lee.
9. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court.
10. Oprah Winfrey, Chair of Harpo Studios.
11. Margaret Whitman, CEO of Ebay.
12. Melinda Gates, wife of Bill Gates.
13. Hillary Clinton, wife of Bill Clinton.

What impressed me more than the overwhelming number of Americans on the list was how they got there. Most of the foreigners made the list because of their role in government. While the overwhelming majority of the U.S. listees made it because of their business acumen. That says something about the power of the marketplace in this country, doesn't it?!

And, of course, judging by the last two listees, it doesn't hurt to marry the right guy, either . . .