Oprah, Beyoncé and Michelle Obama make Forbes Most Powerful Women List

Published by Kunbi Tinuoye at May 26, 2015

Tags

Forbes has released its rankings of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women on Tuesday, with a handful of African-American influencers making it on to the list.

Among the biggest names in politics, business and entertainment are media mogul Oprah Winfrey, singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles and First Lady Michelle Obama. All three have spots in the top 25.

Oprah Winfrey at the ‘The Life You Want Weekend’ in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc. / George Burns. (2014)

Mrs. Obama is the highest-ranked black American woman, coming in at No. 10. While her husband may sit in the Oval Office, the First Lady is spearheading initiatives in her own right, from childhood obesity to girls’ education across the globe.

Still, it is no surprise that billionaire media maven Oprah Winfrey comes in at No. 12. Oprah, the long-reigning queen of daytime TV, has proven her critics wrong with the success of her cable network OWN. She has also become an influential player in the fiercely competitive movie industry.

Queen Bey is the highest-ranked entertainer on this year’s Power Women list, in at No. 21. Last summer’s On The Run Tour with husband Jay-Z grossed about $100 million for 19 North American shows, giving music’s first couple a nightly average on par with the Rolling Stones.

Other women of color who make the cut include Ursula Burns (No. 29), Loretta Lynch (No. 34), E rtharin Cousin (No. 47), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (No. 48), F olorunsho Alakija (no. 87) and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey (No.92)

The No. 1 spot goes to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the fifth consecutive year. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton comes in at No. 2.

Read more here and see the full list at Forbes.com

Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter@Kunbiti

COMMENTS.

comments

Kunbi Tinuoye

Kunbi Tinuoye is the founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz. Previously, she worked as a News Correspondent for NBC’s theGrio. Prior, she was a senior broadcast journalist for the BBC in London. Tinuoye currently sits on the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board and CES Conference Advisory Board. She is a key player in the Atlanta tech startup ecosystem and serves as a mentor for Comcast NBCUniversal’s The Farm Accelerator. Tinuoye has received several awards and accolades, including being honored with a Resolution from the Georgia Legislative.