Forbes released their annual “100 Most Powerful Women,” last week, which in itself is an accomplishment to recognize the top women who are influencing our society.
According to Forbes, the most powerful women this year are the “smartest and toughest female business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, philanthropists and CEOs making their mark in the world today.” They are women who are building billion-dollar brands, calling the shots in the financial markets, and crisscrossing the globe to broker international agreements and provide aid.
All these women’s accomplishments are incredible on their own, and even more so given how hard it can be to establish inroads into industries and job titles traditionally dominated by men.
After looking through the list, I wanted to focus on the youngest women that are in power. I think that youth can be a contributing factor to success because of the vision we have for the future and the energizing drive that is needed to make it.
Here are the eight youngest women on the Forbes’ list with the most power, in order from youngest to oldest:
#55 Marissa Mayer| CEO, Yahoo | Age 41
Four years after taking the helm at Yahoo, Marissa Mayer is overseeing a sale of the embattled tech pioneer's core business amid falling traffic and ad revenues. Much of Mayer's personal fortune comes from her 13-year stint at Google, where she was one of its first employees.
#19 Federica Mogherini | High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Union | Age 42
The foreign minister who works on behalf of 500 million citizens of the European Union, Federica Mogherini received praise for her role in helping to broker a historic missile agreement between Iran and six world superpowers in July 2015. She represents the EU on such hot button issues as the Ukrainian crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the influx of Mediterranean migrants, hundreds of whom have died at sea trying to reach Europe.
#35 Lucy Peng | CEO, Ant Financial Services, Alibaba Group | Age 43
Ant's latest fundraising gives the Alibaba offshoot a valuation of more than $50 billion, making it one of the most valuable privately owned companies. Lucy Peng, a cofounder of Alibaba, established the online financial services company in 2014 to cater to small businesses and "the little guys.”
#44 Amy Hood | Chief Financial Officer, Microsoft | Age 44
As the No. 2 at Microsoft, CFO Amy Hood helped to orchestrate $93.6 billion in revenue for the 2015 fiscal year, a $6.7 billion increase over the previous fiscal year.
#68 Katharine Viner | Editor in Chief, Guardian News & Media | Age 44
Katharine Viner became the first female editor-in-chief in the 195-year history of The Guardian in June 2015, when she assumed the helm of the London-based news organization.
#10 Jenny Lee | Managing Partner, GGV Capital | Age 44
Jenny Lee is one of the most respected investors in the Chinese tech scene. A former jet and drone engineer, she led a $10 million Series A round into Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle maker, Ehang, which raised another $42 million last year.
#41 Samantha Power | Ambassador, U.S. Permanent Representative, UN, United States | Age 45
Samantha Power, the youngest-ever U.S. ambassador to the U.N., is considered to be the moral compass of American diplomacy. Already widely known for her 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, she has been a powerful crusader for U.S. foreign policy as well as human rights and democracy since she took office in 2013.
#50 Nicola Sturgeon | First Minister, Scotland | Age 45
The First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which she first joined as a teenager, Nicola Sturgeon made headlines this spring after announcing that she's ready to renew Scotland's bid for independence, starting with coalescing the support needed for a majority vote.
