Meet the Most Powerful Women in the World

"It is time for women." Those were the words delivered by Claudia Sheinbaum as she was sworn in two months ago as Mexico's first female president. It's also the underlying message behind this year's "most powerful women" list in Forbes, which honors "100 women across finance, technology, media, and beyond who command a collective $33 trillion in economic power and influence more than 1 billion people." The magazine tapped into four main metrics—money, media, impact, and spheres of influence—to determine who made the 2024 roster, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen ascending to the No. 1 spot. Here, the top 10, whose "leadership ... stands as a potent retort to those who question a woman's ability to wield power":

1. Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president
2. Christine Lagarde, European Central Bank president
3. Giorgia Meloni, Italian prime minister
4. Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico
5. Mary Barra, General Motors CEO
6. Abigail Johnson, Fidelity Investments CEO
7. Julie Sweet, Accenture CEO
8. Melinda French Gates, philanthropist
9. MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist
10. Jane Fraser, Citigroup CEO

Check out the full list here. (More women stories.)