By Elishya Perera
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CWBN)_New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was named the 32nd most powerful woman in the world, according to the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women.
Ardern was among the 10 heads of state included 17th annual ranking, and ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath said the Kiwi leader was recognised for her swift and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, by implementing strict lockdown and quarantine procedures.
Ardern, who made it to the list for the third time, was placed well ahead of Queen Elizabeth II this year, who was at number 46.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped the list for the 10th time. “Her leadership is marked by her steely reserve, from standing up to Donald Trump to allowing more than a million Syrian refugees into Germany,” McGrath said.
The German Chancellor was followed by Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the European Central Bank.
US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was also recognised for becoming the first woman, first Black American and first Asian American to be elected vice president, as she was ranked 3rd on the list.
Harris was followed by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and American philanthropist Melinda Gates.
“Across all corridors of power, the leaders on this year’s list of the 100 World’s Most Powerful Women are rising to address the unprecedented challenges of 2020 head on,” Moira Forbes, Executive Vice President, Forbes and Publisher, ForbesWomen, said. “While COVID-19 has put hard-won gains achieved around gender equity at risk, this year’s listees are solving for long-standing problems that require urgent action to move us all forward.”
According to the American Business Magazine, four metrics: money (GDP, revenue, assets under management, or net worth), media mentions, impact (employee count, population) and spheres of influence, are applied when ranking each of these women.
Moreover, “power (currencies and constitutions), dynamic power (audiences, communities and creative influence), and soft power (what are leaders doing with their influence, and particularly how they responded to the challenges presented by COVID in 2020) within the context of each woman’s field” are also given due consideration, Forbes said on its website.
