(8 October 2010 –Australia) Westpac Banking Corporation’s chief executive officer Gail Kelly has been named one of the world’s top ten most powerful women, competing with heavy weighs such as Michele Obama and Hillary Clinton.Mrs Kelly has jumped from the 18th ranking last year in the Forbes magazine list of powerful women to eighth this year.
The US first lady, Michelle Obama, is now considered the most powerful woman in the world, replacing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who slipped to fourth place in the new set of rankings released yesterday and Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, rocketed from 36th to fifth.
Forbes said Mrs Kelly was Australia’s most influential businesswoman, heading the nation’s second-largest bank, which has A$551 billion worth of assets and A$15.9 billion in revenue.
Mrs Kelly’s every statement and opinion, public or otherwise, is reported minutely, occasionally provoking national controversy, Forbes said.
Since late 2009, Mrs Kelly has earned the ire of everyday Australians by drastically raising interest rates on loans, Forbes added.