World's Most Powerful Women 锛�41-50锛�

#41 Oprah Winfrey
Chairman, Harpo
U.S.
Next year, top-ranked TV impresario Oprah Winfrey will launch her own network, OWN, with Discovery, slated to be seen in 70 million homes. The network will be just the latest venture for the Chicago-based talk-show queen, who also runs a magazine (O) that's coming up on its 10th year; a production studio, Harpo; a Web site, Oprah.com; a satellite radio show; a Broadway production arm; and a book club that's widely revered for its power to make or break book sales. Spends increasing amounts of money and time on her charity work, including South African education projects. Has also springboarded the careers of Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil, whose shows she produces; this fall, will premiere The Dr. Oz Show, Harpo's spinoff of frequent Oprah guest Dr. Mehmet Oz.

#42 Queen Elizabeth II
Queen
U.K.
Queen Elizabeth II is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror to obtain the crown of England. At 83, she is now also the oldest living monarch in British history, having surpassed Queen Victoria, who died at 81. The queen is one of the world's most powerful and respected heads of state, though she exercises very little executive power. During her 57-year reign, has counseled 12 British prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to today's Gordon Brown, who have all taken her advice seriously, and she has seen her country through numerous crises with a sense of quiet fortitude and discipline. The indefatigable monarch intends to keep working until she is physically unable to do so and maintains a vigorous schedule of public travel and official duties, such as hosting President Obama during his first state visit to the U.K. in April. She remains popular with her subjects and is the patron of more than 620 charities and organizations. She is also a keen photographer and lover of dogs, Welsh corgis in particular, and has a passion for horses, which she breeds at the royal studs. Forbes estimates her personal fortune at $450 million, not counting her state-owned properties and treasures.

#43 Nancy McKinstry
Chief executive, Wolters Kluwer
Netherlands
Chief of $5 billion Dutch professional publishing house Wolters Kluwer, McKinstry is weathering the economic storm—over two-thirds of sales are subscription-based, while only 18% is affected by faltering markets. Still, McKinstry is not expecting any "green shoots" until perhaps 2010. Continues to pursue an independent strategy with no plans for mega-mergers. Under a new Chinese president, she reorganized China operations to take advantage of growth opportunities there, investing in software applications and looking at selling e-books on Ovid. "My big focus is growing the next generation of leaders," she told Forbes. Company stock price has fallen 10% year to date.

#44 Gloria Arroyo
President
Philippines
In July, she became Southeast Asia's first leader to meet U.S President Barack Obama in the White House, a boon to an otherwise lame-duck presidency. Arroyo's tumultuous six-year term ends with new elections in May 2010. Potential power grab in the works: Congressional allies are pushing through changes to the Constitution that would see the Philippines adopt a parliamentary system; then Arroyo could get around the presidential term limit by becoming prime minister. Critics contend this may further sink the stalling economy that earlier in the year hit a 10-year-low GDP growth of 0.4%. Arroyo also has her hands full dealing with rise in domestic terrorism.

#45 Ana Patricia Botin
Executive Chairman, Banesto
Spain
Botin has financial blood coursing through her veins. The fifth-generation banker (her great-grandfather was named chairman of Grupo Santander in 1908) is highly anticipated to replace her 74-year-old father, Emilio Botin, as head of Santander when he retires, continuing the Botin dynasty of riches and power. Botin was educated in the U.S. and spent several years working for JPMorgan before joining Grupo Santander in 1988. Her philanthropic work speaks as loudly as her professional success—she founded and is vice chairman of Empresa y Crecimiento, which finances small and medium-size companies in Latin America. In recent years, Banesto and Grupo Santander as a whole have flourished where other banks have faltered, as they largely avoided the subprime mortgage catastrophe and fallout.

#46 Ann Veneman
Executive Director, UNICEF
U.S.
Currently the executive director of UNICEF, Veneman was the first woman to become the U.S. secretary of Agriculture. Immediately after resigning from the position in 2005, she was named by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the fifth executive director of UNICEF, which champions the rights and welfare of children around the world. In 2008, Veneman played a key role in the joint effort by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund and the World Bank to help accelerate progress on maternal and newborn health in the 25 countries with the highest rates of infant mortality worldwide.

#47 Yulia Tymoshenko
Prime minister
Ukraine
Tymoshenko is managing Ukraine's economic meltdown; Ukraine's first female prime minister negotiated over $16 billion in a two-year Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF to counter adverse economic affects of the drop in steel prices and mounting foreign debt. Spiking inflation, contracting GDP and concerns about Kiev's ability to pay for Russian gas imports are also weighing heavily on Tymoshenko's 2010 presidential campaign. Has been making nice with former adversary, billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, member of the opposition Party of Regions. She regained her prime minister post in December 2007 after being sacked two years earlier in part due to criticism for moves against assets allegedly sold cheaply to billionaires.

#48 Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Supreme Court Justice
U.S.
Supreme Court justice since 1993; with Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation, she says, "I feel great that I don't have to be the lone woman around this place." In her dissent to the 5-4 ruling that white firemen suffered illegal discrimination when a promotional test on which they did well was thrown out because not enough blacks did well, she took the side of Sotomayor's Circuit Court decision. In another high-profile case, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for car giant Chrysler's sale to Fiat, turning down a last-ditch appeal by consumer groups and pension plans. Earlier this year, the fitness buff, who meets with a personal trainer twice a week, underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer.

#49 Janet Robinson
Chief executive, The New York Times Co.
U.S.
New York Times Co. revenues continue to decline, following a now seven-year pattern. First-quarter 2009 reports showed an operating loss of $61.6 million, which Robinson attributed to the global economic environment and dramatic pullbacks in all categories of the newspaper's advertising, including online. Robinson became chief in December 2004 and has overseen advertising and circulation, the conversion to color printing and the digital transition. The company now hopes to sell its New England subsidiary, which includes The Boston Globe, as well as its 17.5% stake in the Boston Red Sox, after announcing more layoffs, mandated furloughs and temporary pay cuts to the Times' editorial staff.

#50 Dominique Senequier
Chief executive, AXA Private Equity
France
Senequier started AXA Private Equity in 1997 with a single $140 million fund and has built it into a family of 50-plus funds with $27 billion under management. One of seven women admitted to the prestigious L'Ecole Polytechnique in 1972—the first time the school allowed women through its doors. During her early career, she invested in wines—a passion that helped her nurture a close friendship with AXA Founder Claude Bebear, also a wine connoisseur. Senequier is also an accomplished pianist.