Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman among world’s 100 most powerful women: Forbes

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, HCL Corporation CEO and Executive Director Roshni Nadar Malhotra and Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw have been named among the world’s 100 most powerful women by Forbes.

Ms. Sitharaman, a newcomer on the Forbes most powerful women list, is ranked 34th. India’s first female finance minister, Ms. Sitharaman has also served as the country’s defence minister. She is the first female to hold the portfolio full time. Before her, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi briefly took additional charge of the ministry.

The Forbes 2019 list of ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ has been topped by GermanGermanGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, followed by President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde in the second spot and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, ranked third. Also on the list is Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ranked 29th.