full top 10 in the list on www.forbes.com/women:

1: Angela Merkel, chancellor. Germany

2: Sheila Bair, chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. US.

3: Indra Nooyi, chief executive, PepsiCo. US.

4: Cynthia Carroll, chief executive, Anglo American. UK.

5: Ho Ching, chief executive, Temasek Holdings. Singapore

6: Irene Rosenfeld, chief executive, Kraft Foods. US.

7: Ellen Kullman, chief executive, DuPont. US.

8: Angela Braly, chief executive, WellPoint. US.

9: Anne Lauvergeon, chief executive, Areva. France

10: Lynn Elsenhans, chief executive, Sunoco. US.