Sonia, Nooyi among most powerful women

PepsiCo's chief executive-designate Indra Nooyi has been named the fourth most powerful woman in the world, while Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is the 13the most powerful, according to the World’s Most Powerful women list released by Forbes magazine.

India-born and educated Nooyi, who was recently selected to become the top honcho of the cola giant, made a gigantic leap this year in the Forbes Top 100 Most Powerful Woman List from her 28th rank in 2005.

Sonia Gandhi, who was No 3 in the 2004 list right behind Condoleezza Rice and Wu Yi and ahead of Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton, has been ranked 13th this year.

Nooyi, who migrated to the United States in 1978 after a brief stint a textile outfit in India, has been showered with praises by the magazine.

Nooyi’s profile reads as "few people could handle either the presidential or the chief financial officer job at a $100 billion company."

Interestingly, Sonia Gandhi’s profile on the website says that she "heads the Left-leaning party of Jawaharlal Nehru, where she acts as the Opposition leader to Manmohan Singh, the pro-business prime minister."

"Gandhi is still widely revered, especially among the country's poor millions. Gandhi frequently expresses concern that India's astounding economic growth is leaving the poor behind, and that her country is not doing enough to help its farmers," the profile said.

According to the list, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who did not even figure in last year's choice, overtook US Secretary of State Condolezza Rice to become this year's most powerful woman.

The other Indians in the prestigious list are joint managing directors of ICICI Bank Lalita Gupte and Kalpana Morparia, who has been put at 93rd position in the list of 100 women.

Vidya Chhabbria, chairman of the Jumbo Group based in Dubai, is positioned at 95.

The list has 53 women from the United States and five from Britain including Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (at 12th position) and US Democrat Senator Hillary Clinton is at 18.

The US First Lady Laura Bush is found at 43rd most powerful position while Queen Elizabeth booked her place at 46th position followed by Myanmar's pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some of India's other neighbours have also made the cut.

China's Vice premier Wu Yi was placed at third position on the power ladder while Chairman of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission Sima Samar was ranked 28th.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who is facing an opposition protest led by her bitter rival Awami League's Sheikh Haseena, is positioned at 33 while People's Bank of China's Deputy Governor Wu Xialong was at 35.
Haier Group chairman Mian Mian Yang, also from China, was rated 70th most powerful woman in the world.

KNOW NOOYI

Nooyi, who went to the US from India to attend Yale School of Management, has been PepsiCo's president and CFO since 2001.

She will take her place in an elite group of 11 female CEOs running Fortune 500 companies

Patricia Woertz at agricultural processor Archer Daniels Midland Co. ranks first. ADM is ranked 56th in the Fortune 500, while PepsiCo, the world's second-largest soft-drink company after Coca-Cola Co, is ranked 61st.

She is expected by many on Wall Street to continue the company's record of strong, consistent growth

Nooyi's elder sister Chandrika Tandon founded Tandon Capital Associates, a consulting firm that has helped the American banking industry save about $700 million.

Younger brother Krishnamurthy Tandon is a well-known investment banker in Wall Street.

source ibmlive.com