Brasília – The Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is the world’s second most powerful woman, according to the ranking of the American magazine Forbes, released this Wednesday (22). Rousseff, who had ranked third on the previous list, has won over the position formerly occupied by Hillary Clinton, who is no longer the United States Secretary of State, and now ranks fifth. The German foreign minister Angela Merkel remained in the first position as in the past few years.
According to the magazine, halfway through her first term in office, Rousseff is faced with the challenge of turning around the low economic growth rates of the last two years, when compared to the last decade. The publication notes, however, that “her emphasis on entrepreneurship has inspired a new generation of startups.”
Forbes also claims that Rousseff has a new ally, now that the Brazilian Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo was appointed as director-general of the World Trade Organization early this month.
Another Brazilian woman who climbed positions in the ranking is Petrobras president Graça Foster, who went from 20th to 18th. The publication describes Graça Foster as the head of the largest company in the Southern Hemisphere by sales and market value, and highlights the Campos Basin as “one of the world’s most promising oil frontiers.” According to Forbes, in the last 10 years, demand for gasoline in Brazil increased by 73%, compared to 17% globally.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
