Top 15 Most Powerful Women In Business (PHOTOS)

Today, Forbes released its list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Inspired by Forbes' list, we decided to come up with our own account of the most powerful women currently working in business.

These CEOs and directors of mega-companies have managed to break through the glass ceiling and now rank as some of the most powerful business leaders in the world, male or female. While we won't take issue with Forbes' list, we'll leave the exact rankings up to you.

We've ordered the below list to coincide with Forbes' rankings, but we've removed most of the female politicians from the Forbes' rankings, including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was ranked as the most powerful woman in the world.

Check out our PHOTOS and VOTE for the most powerful woman in business.

Sheila Bair, Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

She's handled the takeover of 77 banks this year and has fought Washington's insiders to push her agenda. Bair is rumored to have a few run-ins with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and U.S.Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, but has managed to hold her own.

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Comments

[lloydblank]

08:25 PM on 08/22/2009

Obama already failed to reform the banks & wall street; now he's failing with heath care, too. So much for change you can believe in.

good articles: http://iamned.blogspot.com ...

[Bronxdude]

01:41 PM on 08/21/2009

By killing people, denying claims, restricting doctor choice and refusing coverage via the vaunted preexisting condition caveat, Angela Braly—predatory scumbag, health industry pimp and parasitic WellPoint CEO (Chief Extortion Officer)—steals more than $100,000 per hour in blood salary from American consumers. Just like degenerate molesters who prey on children, republicans and insurers like WellPoint abuse and exploit American children everyday for profit. In Georgia, WellPoint executives colluded with sleazy republican politicians to eliminate competition, with the end result being higher premiums, reduced benefits, and greater profits for WellPoint. With no real competition, WellPoint is free to gouge and rob consumers. The “fix” is in to defeat healthcare reform, and morally degenerate insurers are buying republicans like cheap suits. Sleazy republicans in bed with health industry executives are relying on biased and flawed research. Real competition will end the monopolistic stranglehold enjoyed by morally corrupt insurers like WellPoint. Slime-dog republican whores are bankrolled and controlled by the same health insurance industry pimps they deregulated, which is why they defend the bilking of the American public by these greed-driven corporations. I want access to the same 21 affordable options enjoyed by Congress and 8.5 million federal employees. Real reform means real choice. The public option will control costs, expand coverage and end the single profiteer insurance system killing Americans.

[Bronxdude]

01:37 PM on 08/21/2009

WellPoint is relying on collusive and exclusionary practices to eliminate competition, consolidate their monopolistic stranglehold on consumers and corner the health insurance market. In an effort to defeat reform, UnitedHealthcare is ordering its employees to attend and disrupt town hall meetings. Under the current greed-driven arrangement negotiated by the parasitic insurance industry, 1 of every 4 healthcare dollars spent goes to insurance companies, which generates approximately $ 800 billion annually in profit that is divided amongst the top 7 seven insurers, to include UnitedHealthcare. The public option would cut reimbursement revenue to hospitals, insurers and drug companies, not doctors. Ruthless and morally corrupt insurers like UnitedHealthcare are aggressively pushing legislation (so far, the insurance industry has paid out $17 million in bribes to republicans) to shift more of the cost of healthcare (from 25 to 35 percent) to consumers, so the insurers can spend less of every premium dollar on actual healthcare, which translates into greater profit. In comparison, even mob controlled casinos limit their profit on gamblers to no more than 20 cents on the dollar. Twofaced, shallow, hypocritical Christians: When Jesus healed people of all races and creeds, I’m certain he didn’t first verify their insurance coverage through BC/BS of Nazareth before attending to their ills! Ruthlessly inspired capitalism that exploits the sick, downtrodden and poor represents a wicked collaboration between republicans and Beelzebub. 50 million uninsured Americans is an evil blight upon our civilized nation. Public option now!

[wdcvhi]

03:04 AM on 08/21/2009

Not the most attractive lot.

[larissa68]

06:41 PM on 08/21/2009

And this opinion matters why? It has no relevance to their ability to do their job.

[saus]

12:16 AM on 08/21/2009

Where's Fiona Apple?

[jimmy19]

11:48 PM on 08/20/2009

I'll tap em all.. :)

[larissa68]

06:53 PM on 08/21/2009

Jimmy 19. Is nineteen your age? Well, let me give you a hint. It's not necessary to type every thought that comes into your head when you see a woman on a blog.

Learn to integrate that filter that tells you when you're behaving like a fratboy and then pay attention.

[noneIn2008]

11:48 PM on 08/20/2009

Looking forward to the day we don't need to make this distinction. Won't it be great when we can just evaluate an individuals contributions and not need to box them in with labels. For example, why would it be relevant to name the leading Polish American CEOs. We've made some progress, we still have a ways to go.

[nailinpalinnow]

10:58 PM on 08/20/2009

"Palin D-Listed By Forbes"

http://nailinpalinnow.blogspot.com/

[tiggerpornstar]

09:13 PM on 08/20/2009

I don't see Marissa Mayer of Google on the list, did I miss her?

[JDJase]

03:42 PM on 08/22/2009

this is a list of the most POWERFUL women in business...considering she's only a vice president, no, you're not going to find her on the list

[Henry DA 08]

07:55 PM on 08/20/2009

When I was back in Wharton, I met Indra Nooyi of Pepsi. Nooyi came to speak to the student body. I found her to be inspiring and hope that one day she will run as an executive of a State or even this country... all though I am not sure if she is naturalized or born here.

[Taz2]

06:42 PM on 08/20/2009

Here are some other Women from the Obama Administration
Hillary Clinton #36
Michelle Obama #40
Janet Nepolitano #51
Sonia Sotomeyer #54
Kathleen Sebelius #56

[JDJase]

03:43 PM on 08/22/2009

tho technically Sonia Sotomayor isn't in the Obama Administration

[GeoLee]

06:41 PM on 08/20/2009

I hope you strolled through the photos and saw that one is CEO of WellPoint, a health insurance company, and has tripled her salary up to 60 million since taking over. How do you fearful o fsocialist plans feel about that?

[LeftAlone]

05:57 PM on 08/20/2009

Oprah Winfrey is by far the most important women in the business world.

Did you forget she is about to launch her own television network soon??

of course she also hasa few day jobs too.

geez

[toocoldout]

06:50 PM on 08/20/2009

I agree. She also elected the president:

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/so-much-for-one-person-one-vote/

Time magazine ranks her as the most influential person (male or female, from any field) in the entire world.

[NevaforLeadership]

08:20 PM on 08/20/2009

I agree. And nice too.

I would like to see her win the Nobel Peace Prize for all the good she has done in this world.

[wam2b]

05:25 PM on 08/20/2009

Learning that the CEOs of Wellpoint, Sunoco, Kraft, Anglo American, and Pepsico are all women somehow makes me feel sad and hopeless.

[Mike Sprinkel]

07:26 PM on 08/20/2009

Well, at least you're honest. The fact is they got the job based on merit, and those companies have continued along just fine even with a (*gasp*) woman at the helm. This is not the 1960s, women are perfectly capable of running a business enterprise.

Besides, are you a shareholder of those companies? If so, you shouldn't feel hopeless simply because women run them.

[NevaforLeadership]

08:28 PM on 08/20/2009

You've missed the point.

I believe wam2b means that he/she is disappointed that women are running those particular companies, not because they are not capable of running a business or didn't get their jobs based on merit.

[playon]

05:19 PM on 08/20/2009

Sheila Bair, Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

She's one of the most powerul women? According to recent reports the FDIC is bankrupt.