Looking for women who absolutely destroyed the stereotypes surrounding them and emerged victorious to inspire upcoming generations? Well, it turns out you are at the right place. In the next few minutes we are going to take a deeper look at policy shapers: women influencing global change.
Christine Lagarde
Lagarde is the president of the European Central Bank and influences key decision-making in economic policies of the world. She also served as the managing director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019.
Born in January 1956, she was raised in Paris and went to law school at Paris Nanterre University. She completed her master’s from Sciences Po Aix.
She served at key positions in the Government of France, namely minister of foreign trade, minister of agriculture and fisheries, and the minister of finance.
She also became the first woman to hold any of these positions, which displays her competence and skills. She was ranked number two in Forbes 100 most influential women for 4 different years: 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the Director General of the World Trade Organization. She was previously appointed to the Twitter Board of Directors. She also had the privilege to serve on MINDS: Mandela Institute for Development Studies.
Born in June 1954, she had made for herself an illustrious career that still shines through her work and policies.
She is the first African and the first woman to lead as the Director General of the WTO.
Amina J. Mohammed
Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. She is also the chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Born in June 1961, Amina has been an advocate of women’s rights as she coordinated the Task Force on Gender and Education for the United Nations Millennium Project.
Her mandate included designing a virtual poverty fund with different approaches to poverty reduction, as well as providing advice on issues regarding poverty, public sector reform, and development.
She also served as the chair of the Advisory Board in UNESCO. Her extraordinary efforts for climate change and ending world poverty have been recognised in their true sense.
Kristalina Georgieva
Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and an important figure in global financial politics.
She was born in August 1953, and her university education was at the London School of Economics.
She later served as European commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid, and Crisis Response from 2010 to 2014.
She played a big role in several crises, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Euro Area debt crisis, and the 2015 refugee crisis.
Georgieva also served as the CEO of the World Bank, and her reforms secured the largest funding increase in the Bank’s history.
She ranked 13 on Forbes 100 most powerful women in 2023.
Sanna Marin
Sanna Marin served as the Prime Minister of Finland from 2019 to 2023. She was the youngest person to hold the office in Finnish history.
She was born in November 1985 and graduated from the University of Tampere in 2017. Holding such a high position at such a young age defines her determination and hard work, accompanied by resilience and courage.
Melinda French Gates
Melinda French Gates, born in August 1964, is a philanthropist and a former manager at Microsoft. She was raised in Dallas and graduated from Dukes University. She married Bill Gates and co-founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Her vision to end the world’s poverty and hunger is certainly something most women look up to. She is an icon in philanthropy and continues to advocate for child education and equal distribution of resources.
Greta Thunberg
Thunberg is widely known for her climate change activism throughout the years. She has been one of the leading voices against the policies that harm the planet.
Greta Thunberg was born in January 2003, and at the age of 15, she began skipping school and protesting in front of the Swedish parliament, where she called for stronger action against climate change.
Due to her unwavering efforts and consistency, she addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference and the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit.
The Guardian recognised her efforts as the Greta effect and was included in Time’s 100 most influential people and Forbes list of the World’s 100 most powerful women in 2019.
She has influenced leaders to formulate definitive policies to control climate change, and she continues to be a pioneer in this regard.
Conclusion
These women have lit up a path that once seemed dull and dark. The leading advocates of change and the torchbearers of peace. These women have defied normal boundaries, and the sky’s the limit for them.
The sole purpose of acknowledging their careers and efforts here is the initiation of a new wave following in the footsteps of these exemplary women.
Young girls and career oriented women have their examples to follow and leave their mark on every step they take.
1 Comment