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Taylor Swift has become the youngest woman ever to be included on
Forbes most powerful women list.
The 25-year-old US singer made number 65 on the Forbes annual list of
the most powerful women in the world, a list dominated by politicians,
activists and business women – and topped by German Chancellor Angela
Merkel.
Forbes, which has put together the list since 2004, defended the
choice explaining Swift has "not only broken record sales and
captivated the world with her fantastically honest lyrics, but she has
proven herself as an impressive businesswoman.
"Swift, a seven-time Grammy winner, has sold more than 40 million
albums and 100 million single downloads worldwide – making her one of
the best-selling artist of all time and now the youngest entry on the
list by six years.
Forbes most powerful women 2015: Top 10
The next youngest on the list is Elizabeth Holmes (no.72), founder and
CEO of innovative blood-testing company Theranos, and the world's
youngest female self-made billionaire, worth an estimated $4.6billion.
Swift joins other illustrious women in the media, music or film
industries, including Beyoncé, no.21 (who first made the list in 2010
aged 28), Sofia Vergara, no.57; Ellen DeGeneres, no.50; Angelina
Jolie, no.54; Oprah Winfrey, no.12; and Shakira, no.81.
For the second year running Merkel tops the list, followed by US
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who was in the first list in
2004 and has made the top 10 in the past five consecutive years.
Melinda Gates, of the Bill and Melinda Foundation, was number 3,
followed by chairwoman of the US Federal Reserve Bank Janet Yellen and
then Mary Barra – CEO of General Motors (GM), one of the world's
largest car makers by individual sale units. Michelle Obama was no.10
on the list.
There was not a single British woman in the top 10 and the UK's top
entry (at no.41) was the Queen.
Only 12 Europeans made the total cut of a list dominated by the US,
with three Africans, four women from the Middle East and four from
Latin American. Women from Asia-Pacific made the next best showing,
with 18 on the list.
Credit: Independent UK
