Power no longer looks the way it used to. From boardrooms and central banks to geopolitics and global business, women are increasingly occupying positions that were once the near-exclusive preserve of men.
Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list captures this shift, spotlighting the women reshaping influence, leadership and decision-making at the highest levels.
The 2025 list includes two South African CEOs, making them the most powerful women in the country, according to the list. The top five most powerful women in the world all hold positions in politics and policymaking institutions.
Forbes evaluates candidates by measuring economic power, scope of influence, institutional leadership and the scale of impact they command.
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Most powerful woman in SA
The recently released list shows that Mary Vilakazi, CEO of FirstRand Group, is the 74th most powerful woman, making her the most powerful woman in South Africa.
Vilakazi became CEO of FirstRand Group in April 2024, after being the group’s COO since 2018. FirstRand is the parent company to First National Bank (FNB), Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), WesBank, Ashburton Investments and Direct Axis, among others.
She is also the only woman to lead one of the country’s big five banks. As of June 2025, the group held assets worth R2.5 trillion. Vilakazi is among the highest-paid in the country, walking away with a cash package of R11.2 million for the year.
“She started her career at PwC; at 27, Vilakazi became one of the firm’s youngest partners across its global offices,” said Forbes. “Accounting and banking hadn’t been Vilakazi’s original career plans: She has said she wanted to become a psychologist or lawyer when she was younger.”
Another powerful woman in SA
The second South African woman on the list is 46-year-old Mpumi Madisa, Bidvest group CEO. Bidvest, with a market cap of R79 billion, operates across a range of business sectors, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, and freight management.
Madisa, ranked 89th on the list, was appointed CEO in 2020 after joining the company in 2003. “When she took on the CEO role in 2020, Madisa became the only Black female chief executive of a top-40 company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange,” said Forbes.
“Madisa first joined Bidvest in 2003. She sits on the boards of 16 of the company’s subsidiary companies.”
According to Bidvest Group Audited Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2025, Madisa walked away with a remuneration package of R58.4 million, which includes an annual salary of R13 million and bonuses.
First woman to serve this role
According to Forbes’ World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, is the world’s most powerful.
Forbes said she was appointed as the president of the commission in July 2019, and she is the first woman to serve in the role, which is responsible for legislation affecting more than 450 million Europeans.
Before then, the 67-year-old woman served in Angela Merkel’s cabinet from 2005 until 2019, making her the longest-serving cabinet member.
“For the last six years of her time in the cabinet, she was Germany’s defence minister,” reads Forbes. “She was re-elected for a second five-year term in July 2024. She has said one of the most important tasks in her second term is strengthening Europe’s democracy.”
Second most powerful in the world
Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, is the second most powerful in the world. She is the first woman to head the European Central Bank.
“As head of European monetary policy, Lagarde faces a critical test, ensuring economic growth in a high-inflation environment,” said Forbes. “From 2011 until mid-2019, Lagarde ran the International Monetary Fund, which works to ensure the stability of the global monetary system.”
Holding the third position is Sanae Takaichi, Prime minister of Japan. She was elected in October 2025, making her the first woman in Japan’s history to hold that role.
She was first elected to parliament in 1993 and, over the years, has held a variety of high-profile positions within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has increasingly moved to the right.
More world leaders
In fourth position is Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy. She took office in October 2025, becoming the first woman in history to hold the position. Meloni is also the president of Italy’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party, which she cofounded in 2012.
“At 15, she joined the youth wing of the Italian Social Movement, a party that was founded by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and which has been described as neo-fascist,” said Forbes.
The fifth most powerful woman is Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico. She made history when she was elected Mexico’s first female president in a landslide victory in June 2024. Sheinbaum is also the first Jewish president of her country.
“From 2018 until 2023, Sheinbaum served as Mayor of Mexico City,” said Forbes. “One of her accomplishments was introducing a new cablebus system that improved citywide commuting.”
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