Nearly one-fifth of FORBES’ 2015 list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women is comprised of fresh faces, exceptional female leaders making strides in business, entertainment, finance, media, philanthropy, politics and technology, or as billionaires. While the majority of this year’s newcomers are making their Power Women-debuts, many are returnees, reclaiming places on the list following hiatuses.
After first appearing at No. 38 on the 2010 list, then-CEO of Santander U.K. Ana Patricia Botín returned in 2011, snagging the No. 77 spot before dropping off in 2012. This year, however, Botín has rejoined the Power Women ranks, placing at No. 18, the highest of any newcomer to the 2015 list.
In September 2014, Botín was appointed to chair of Banco Santander, a historic move that marks her as the first woman to lead one of Europe’s financial-service giants. Her new position came in the wake of the passing of her father, Emilio Botín, former Banco Santander chair, ranked on FORBES’ 2011 and 2012 World’s Billionaires lists. The fourth generation of Botín to serve at the top bank’s helm, she has vowed to continue her father’s legacy.
Botín is one of eight women who are newcomers to the 2015 list as result of a new job. Ruth Porat, once regarded as the most powerful woman on Wall Street, left Morgan Stanley for Google’s CFO position in May 2015, a move that earned her the No. 32 slot on the list, up from No. 90 back in 2011. Following her historical appointment in April 2015 as the first female African-American attorney general, Loretta Lynch joins Botín and Porat at No. 34.
Federica Mogherini, selected as the European Union’s foreign policy chief in November 2014; Ewa Kopacz, elected the second female Polish prime minister in September 2014; Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, chosen as the second woman deputy governor of Bank of England in August 2014; Katharine Viner, named the Guardian’s first female editor-in-chief in March 2015; and Kaci Kullmann Five, appointed to chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in March 2015, follow suit at No. 36, No. 40, No. 66, No. 80 and No. 86, respectively.
Four of 2015’s newcomers recently received promotions, like No. 55 Beth Comstock, who, as of October 2014, has taken on the role of CEO of GE Business Innovations, a unit inclusive of GE Lighting, which generates $3 billion in revenue annually. Katie Jacobs Stanton, ranked at No. 56 in 2011, accepted a promotion to vice president of global media at Twitter in July 2014 and rejoined the list at No. 60.
Dana Walden, promoted to CEO of Fox Television Group in July 2014, comes in at No. 74, and Fabiola Gianotti, ranked at No. 78 in 2013 and named first female director of CERN in November 2014, takes No. 83.
While some Power Women newcomers have hit the pinnacles of their careers, others are influences on the rise, leaders to watch out for. One such force is Donna Langley, who, at No. 58, is the chair of Universal Pictures and responsible for green lighting some of the studio’s greatest hits in recent years, like Furious 7, which became the first Universal flick to bring in more than $1 billion. After making the switch from country to pop, dropping platinum album 1989 and giving all “Welcome to New York” proceeds to the New York Public Schools system, Taylor Swift is another one of this year’s most notable influencers, ranking at No. 64.
With a net worth of $4.6 billion, founder and CEO of Theranos (valued at $9 billion) Elizabeth Holmes became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire in 2014, landing her at No. 73. Shobhana Bhartia, the HT Media chair who is revolutionizing her father’s business; Raja Easa Al Gurg, managing director of ESAG and No. 1 on FORBES’ Middle East’s Most Powerful Arab Women 2014 list; Jenny Lee, GGV Capital managing partner and first woman to break the glass ceiling on FORBES’ 2015 Midas List at No. 10; and Lee Boo-Jin, president of Cheil Industries and poised to take over father Lee Kun-hee’s Samsung Group, round out the list of newcomers at No. 93, No. 97, No. 98 and No. 100, respectively.
