Our definitive annual guide to the extraordinary icons, game changers and ceiling crashers who are asserting themselves on the world stage. Eighteen newcomers join the list this year, which is based on dollars and impact
1 / Angela Merkel / 59
Chancellor, Germany
Education: Master of Science, Leipzig University; Doctorate, Leipzig University
Citizenship: Germany
In November 2005, Angela Merkel—leader of the Christian Democratic Party—became the first woman chancellor in Germany’s male-dominated political arena. The conservative leader has helped shape the European Union, and is a strong proponent of austerity reforms among member countries. Since WWII, only two other German leaders—Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl—have been chancellor for three terms.
(This story appears in the 27 June, 2014 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)