5 Influential Women in the World of Business

When it comes to the working world, there’s no denying that there has been a pillar of injustice against certain members in our society. As a result, it has hindered the opportunities available and created a vanilla environment that isn’t a true reflection of what the workforce could be.

Empowering Woman #1: Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg is recognizable across the globe — mainly for her work as Chief Operating Officer of Facebook since 2008. However, this empowering woman also founded Leanin.org which is a nonprofit organization to help other women achieve their goals. She has even been featured in the TIME 100!

She was reportedly head-hunted by Zuckerberg too, at a Christmas party in 2007. Continuing her rise through the ranks, she was elected to Facebook’s board of directors, becoming the first woman to serve on its board, a huge revolutionary moment in the history of Facebook.

Empowering Woman #2: Angela Merkel

Although she’s set to leave office in 2021 after serving 16 years, Angela Merkel is a true inspiration for many women looking to forge a career in politics. Merkel wields significant power within the European Union, influencing a lot of key decisions as well as leading on certain strategies. Being described as the ‘de facto’ leader, with rumors circulating that she is to replace Juncker as the next President at the May 2019 European Elections, leading a new “pro-Europe coalition”.

As Chancellor of Germany, she will be remembered for all of time as the strong woman who powered through a financial crisis.

Empowering Woman #3: Indra Nooyi

Interestingly, Indra Nooyi, who chairs PepsiCo was voted the second most powerful woman in the world back in 2015. In fact, she’s been included in the top 20 of the World’s Most Powerful Women since 2006. A veteran employee of PepsiCo, her 25-year tenure is due to end early 2019 as she steps down from chairwoman, a position she has held since August 2018 after stepping down as CEO for 12 years.

She’s known for making a lot of her products healthier for consumers, while also increasing profits significantly. Categorizing her products into three separate slogans; “fun for you”, “better for you” and “good for you”, the latter being items such as oats from the merger with Quaker Oats Company.

Empowering Woman #4: Oprah Winfrey

Everyone knows who Oprah Winfrey is. Dubbed as the ‘Queen of Media’ by many, she’s achieved many great accolades and became North America’s first black multi-billionaire. As well as this, she’s a savvy investor with shares in the likes of Weight Watchers.

As well as this, her television presence is respected by millions. Despite receiving some criticisms that she created a confession culture centered around emotion, she is praised for breaking 20^th century taboos and allowing for the mainstream acceptance of LGBT through frequent broadcasting appearances. In early 2018, in support of sexual assault victims that lead to the fall of many high profile males, Oprah delivered an inspiring and influential speech at the Golden Globes.