Sheikh Hasina Ranks 39th on Forbes List of Most Powerful Women

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ranks 39th on the list of the 100 most powerful women in the world by 2020 revealed by Forbes on Tuesday. 

Hasina, Bangladesh's longest-serving Prime Minister, is currently serving her fourth term, which is also her third consecutive term, after securing 288 out of 300 parliamentary seats for her party, the Bangladesh Awami League.

In the current term, Hasina focuses on issues such as food security and access to education and healthcare, Forbes wrote. “An ongoing struggle of Hasina has been establishing a firm democracy in Bangladesh.”

The women on the 17th annual power list hail from 30 countries and were born across four generations including 10 heads of state, 38 CEOs and five entertainers among them.

“But where they differ in age, nationality and job description, they are united in the ways they have been using their platforms to address the unique challenges of 2020,” Forbes said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel claimed the No. 1 spot for the tenth year in a row, with European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde coming in second for the second consecutive year.

US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris made the list for the first time — debuting in the No. 3 slot. Forbes said her "rapid ascension in US politics" has "catapulted" her onto the list.

In particular, many of this year's Power Women have won global recognition for their successful response to Covid-19: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (No. 32) overcame her country's first and second wave of viruses by introducing stringent locking and quarantine procedures.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen (No. 37) launched a robust contact-tracing policy in January; as a result, an island of 23 million people has lost only seven people to the virus to date.

The 17 newcomers on this year’s list illustrate that women are leading all aspects of a society transformed by a global pandemic. New UPS CEO Carol Tomé (No. 11) and Clorox head Linda Rendle (No. 87) are responsible for helping provide essential services that have kept Americans connected and clean, while CVS Health executive vice president and incoming CEO Karen Lynch (No. 38) leads the pharmacy giant’s vast COVID testing program and, in 2021, will be responsible for its critical handling of COVID vaccines.