Kochhar, Shaw among world's most powerful bizwomen

ICICI Bank CEO and Managing Director Chanda Kochhar has been ranked in the top 20 of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women list compiled by Forbes.

Kochhar debuted at number 20 behind Sonia Gandhi who was ranked 13th in the list led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Kochhar was named as the first woman boss of India's second largest lender ICICI Bank and took charge in May this year. "She now oversees a bank with assets of $100 billion," Forbes said.

She was instrumental in transforming the retail business of ICICI Bank and turning it into a retail banking powerhouse.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman, Biocon, is the world's 91st most influential woman, according to the Forbes magazine.

Mazumdar-Shaw moved to 91 from last year's 99th place.

Indian-origin chief executive and chairman of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi figured at number three in Forbes' world's 100 most powerful women.

Nooyi retains her third position in the Forbes list.

Sheila Bair, Chairperson, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, USA, is the world's second most powerful woman after German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

However, Bair has been named the world's most influential businesswoman.

Number 4 on the Forbes' list of most powerful women is Cynthia Carroll, chief executive of Anglo American, a British mining firm which is also the world's biggest producer of platinum.

Among businesswomen, Carroll is the world's third most influential.

Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek, Singapore's huge wealth fund, is the world's fifth most powerful woman. Amongst businesswomen she is the 4th most influential in the world.

Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld has been ranked the world's fourth most powerful businesswoman by Forbes.

Ellen Kullman, CEO, DuPont, USA, is the world's seventh most powerful woman, says Forbes. She became DuPont chief executive in January 2009.

Earlier she was the company's president from October 2008 to December 2008.

In the eighth position among the world's most powerful women is Angela Braly, president and CEO of WellPoint Inc.

She became WellPoint CEO in 2007.

Anne Lauvergeon, chief executive of France's nuclear reactor maker Areva, ranks ninth amongst the world's most powerful women.

She has been in-charge of Areva since 1999.

In the tech sector, Carol Bartz, who was named Yahoo CEO in January, is the world's 12 most powerful woman, just a step ahead of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.