Forbes world's 100 most powerful women: Priyanka Chopra, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in global list

However, Forbes world's 100 most powerful women list was topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 64. Merkel is a four-time Chancellor. Notably, it is the eighth consecutive year and 13 times in total in the 15 years of the annual list she has topped. (Reuters)

UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who for the second year in a row has retained the No 2 spot on the list. May, 62. (Reuters)

In third spot is International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde. (Reuters)

In 4th spot on Forbes world's 100 most powerful women list was General Motors CEO Mary Barra. (Reuters)

In 5th spot on Forbes world's 100 most powerful women was Fidelity Investments CEO Abigail Johnson.  (Reuters)

As far as India is concerned, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, CEO, HCL Technologies is ranked 51st on the Forbes world's 100 most powerful women list. The 37-year old is responsible for all strategic decisions for the USD 8.1 billion enterprise, which operates in technology, healthcare and infosystems. Nadar Malhotra is also the Vice Chairperson of the board of HCL Technologies and the Chairperson of its CSR Committee. She is a trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which is focused on education and has established some of India's top colleges and schools. (DNA India)

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder and Chair, Biocon, is ranked 60 on Forbes world's 100 most powerful women list. India's richest self-made woman had founded the country's largest biopharmaceutical firm in 1978. Biocon has successfully forayed into the lucrative US biosimilars market, catching the attention of investors and creating a surge in market cap, Forbes said. Biocon became the first company to gain approval from the USFDA for two different biosimilars of drugs used in certain cancer treatments. The 65-year old business woman has invested in research infrastructure and scientific talent with the aim of building a deep R&D-based biotech firm, not a copycat generics maker. (DNA India)

Shobhana Bhartia, 61, Chairperson and Managing Director, HT Media, is ranked 88th on Forbes world's 100 most powerful women list. In 2013, Bhartia launched the business weekly MintAsia in Singapore and then bought Webitude, a social and digital media outfit. HT Media's tutoring arm, Studymate, has expanded into coaching students for the admissions exam required by India's elite engineering schools. (Twitter)

Bollywood and Hollywood spanning actress Priyanka Chopra, who married American singer and actor Nick Jonas this week, comes in at the 94th spot on Forbes world's 100 most powerful women list. Forbes said Chopra, 36, is "arguably the most successful Bollywood actor to cross over to Hollywood". Priyanka Chopra made her US big-screen debut in 2017's "Baywatch" and became the first Indian actress to lead a drama series on American television as the former star of ABC's "Quantico." (PTI)

Priyanka Chopra launched her own production company, Mumbai-based Purple Pebble Pictures, to promote regional filmmakers and emerging Indian talent. In 2018, she became a tech investor, putting money into dating app Bumble's investment fund and Holberton School for software engineering. The UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and UN Foundation Girl Up Champion also launched the Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education. (PTI)
 

"Forbes' Most Powerful Women 2018 list reflects what is always known about power, how ephemeral it is and how volatile it can be," says Moira Forbes, Executive Vice President, Forbes Media. North America represents 50 women on the list, Asia Pacific 22, Europe (inclusive of Russia and Turkey) 17, the United Kingdom 7, the Middle East 3, one in Africa. (Reuters)

Members of the 2018 Most Powerful Women list represent women in six categories: business (27 honorees), technology (18), finance (12), media & entertainment (16), politics & policy (22), and philanthropy (5). In total, the Power Women control or influence nearly USD 2 trillion in revenues and oversee 5 million employees. (Reuters)

The 2018 list spans more than six generations of influential women, with Taylor Swift the youngest honoree at 28 and Queen Elizabeth II the oldest at 92. (Reuters)