12 Black Leaders Featured in Forbes ' "Most Powerful Women" List
Learn which presidents, CEOs and tycoons made the cut.
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The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women - Every year, Forbes Magazine releases “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” a list spotlighting extraordinary icons, leaders and groundbreakers. Malawian President Joyce Banda, superstar Beyoncé and Xerox CEO Ursula Burns are just a few of the Black women featured in the 2014 guide. Keep reading to learn who else made the cut. — Patrice Peck (Photos from left: REUTERS /MARIO ANZUONI /LANDOV, Alo Ceballos/FilmMagic,Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Walt Disney)
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President Joyce Banda - As Forbes reports, President Joyce Banda — Malawi’s first female president and the continent’s second — has helped to remove monetary suspensions from Western supporters to Malawi and revived cash injections from the IMF. However, the controversial leader has also faced a number of financial and corruption scandals during her time in office. (Photo: Lefteris Pitarakis - WPA Pool /Getty Images)
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First Lady Michelle Obama - From her impressive approval rating (66 percent) to her highly visible trips abroad, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama is undoubtedly one of the world’s most powerful individuals. Childhood obesity and healthier eating and lifestyles are just a few of the initiatives that the Harvard grad and former corporate attorney has undertaken using her platform as first lady. (Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Oprah Winfrey - A self-made billionaire whose remarkable success ranges from entrepreneur to media personality, Oprah Winfrey is no stranger to lists of power and top earnings. In 2013, she was Forbes’ highest-earning celebrity at $77 million. This year, Winfrey continued making headlines by reversing the fortunes of her once-struggling TV network, OWN. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Folorunsho Alakija - Ranked the richest woman in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, Folorunsho Alakija is another self-made tycoon whose winding career path began in London as a secretarial and fashion design student. Having founded a tailoring company that propelled her to high society, she now controls and holds a 60 percent stake in Famfa Oil, which pumps about 200,000 barrels a day.(Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)
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Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey - As President-CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest charitable U.S. foundation solely dedicated to health care, Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey oversaw more than 850 grants worth $449 million last year alone. She also helped to implement and educate consumers about the Affordable Care Act.(Photo: ark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Beyoncé Knowles - Beyoncé Knowles accomplished a staggering number of historic feats in 2013, including singing for the president and headlining both the Super Bowl halftime show and the most profitable tour of the year. Her surprise, self-titled visual album, which sold more than 800,000 units in three days, and recent involvement in women’s empowerment debates and initiatives have skyrocketed the 32-year-old superstar to new cultural heights. (Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images)
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Helene Gaye - After Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines in November 2013, Helen Gaye, the President and CEO of the anti-poverty organization CARE, supervised tremendous efforts that brought food, shelter and supplies on the ground within days and helped to raise $20 million toward the nation and assist 300,000 people. This year, Gaye will administer more than 900 projects in 87 countries. (Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Blood:Water Mission)
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President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf - Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa’s first female head of state in 2006. The former World Bank officer was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, among other awards. As President Sirleaf aims to fight poverty today via prioritizing infrastructure, she also faces allegations of corruption and nepotism. (Photo: Michel Porro/Getty Images)
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Rosalind Brewer - Rosalind Brewer’s promotion to the CEO position of Sam’s Club in 2012 made her the first woman and African-American to lead a Walmart division. Tasked with doubling revenue at the warehouse club, which is currently worth $56 billion with 110,000 employees, Brewer has kicked off an experimental digital strategy to meet the towering goal. (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
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Ertharin Cousin - Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme, currently oversees 13,500 staff members combating hunger across 83 countries. Forbes reports that, under her leadership, the world’s largest hunger-fighting organization has fed 177 million people and increased donations from 30,000 individuals by 17 percent last year, reportedly raising $4.3 billion. (Photo: Mac Innes Photography/Dept of the Taoiseach via Getty Images)
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Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - The Harvard- and MIT-educated economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received her second appointment as finance minister of Nigeria (becoming the first woman to hold the position) in 2011 following a failed 2012 bid to become president of the World Bank. She has also been heralded for her work to fight corruption, make the government more transparent and make the country more desirable for investment and jobs. (Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for TIME)