International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality.
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is a German politician who has been Chancellor of Germany since 2005. She served as Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2000 to 2018. A member of the Christian Democratic Union, Merkel is the first female chancellor of Germany. Merkel has been widely described as the de facto leader of the European Union, the most powerful woman in the world and by many commentators since 2016 as the "leader of the free world".
In November 2018, Merkel stepped down as leader of the Christian Democratic Union and announced she wouldn't seek another term as chancellor in 2021. Merkel remains the de facto leader of Europe, leading the region's largest economy after steering Germany through financial crisis and back to growth.
Her leadership is marked by her steely reserve, from standing up to Donald Trump to allowing more than a million Syrian refugees into Germany. An October 2020 survey found 75% of adults in 14 European countries trust Merkel more than any other leader in the region.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney serving as the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the United States first female vice president, the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, and the first African American and first Asian American vice president.
A member of the Democratic Party, she served as a United States senator from California from 2017 to 2021, and as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. Harris became vice president upon inauguration in January 2021 alongside President Joe Biden, having defeated the incumbent president, Donald Trump, and vice president, Mike Pence, in the 2020 election.
She's no stranger to firsts: In 2016, Harris was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the United States Senate. And in 2010, Harris became the first African-American and first woman to serve as California's attorney general.
Melinda Gates
Melinda Ann Gates is an American philanthropist and a former general manager at Microsoft, the world's largest computer software company. In 2000, she and her husband Bill Gates co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable organization as of 2015. Gates has consistently been ranked as one of the world's most powerful women by Forbes.
Gates first job was tutoring children in mathematics and computer programming. After graduation, she became a marketing manager with Microsoft, being responsible for leading the development of various multimedia products. These included Cinemania, Encarta, Publisher, Microsoft Bob, Money, Works and Word. She worked on Expedia, which became one of the most popular travel booking websites. In the early 1990s, Gates was appointed as General Manager of Information Products, a position which she held until 1996. She left Microsoft that year, reportedly, to focus on starting a family.
Abigail Johnson
Abigail Pierrepont Johnson is an American billionaire businesswoman. Since 2014, Johnson has been president and chief executive officer of American investment firm Fidelity Investments (FMR), and chairman of its international sister company Fidelity International (FIL). Fidelity was founded by her grandfather Edward C. Johnson II. Her father Edward C. "Ned" Johnson III remains chairman emeritus of FMR. As of March 2013, the Johnson family owned a 49% stake in the company, with Johnson herself holding an estimated 24.5%.
In November 2016, Johnson was named chairman and will remain CEO and president, giving her full control of Fidelity with 45,000 employees worldwide. Johnson's wealth is approximately $22.6 billion, making her one of the world's wealthiest women. She was named by Forbes as The Richest Person In America's 50 Largest Cities in 2016 and ranked #7 as Power Women in 2019. She is also the richest person in Massachusetts.
Christine Lagarde
Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde is a French politician, businessperson and lawyer serving as President of the European Central Bank since 1 November 2019. Between July 2011 and September 2019, she served as Chair and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Lagarde previously held various senior ministerial posts in the Government of France: she was Minister of Commerce (2005–2007), Minister of Agriculture and Fishing (2007) and Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry (2007–2011). Lagarde was the first woman to become finance minister of a G8 economy and is the first woman to head both the ECB and the IMF. A noted antitrust and labour lawyer, Lagarde was the first female Chair of major international law firm Baker & McKenzie, between 1999 and 2004. On 16 November 2009, the Financial Times ranked her the best finance minister in the Eurozone.
Lagarde became the first woman to head the European Central Bank on November 1, 2019. As head of European monetary policy, Lagarde faces a critical test: ensuring the coronavirus pandemic does not wreak further havoc on the Euro zone. "I think 2021 will certainly be a difficult first half of the year," she predicted in November 2020. From 2011 until mid-2019, Lagarde ran the International Monetary Fund that works to ensure the stability of the global monetary system. She was the first woman to hold that position.
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