Most Powerful Women International (2020)

Every year for the Most Powerful Women International list, Fortune scans the globe to highlight the most powerful women in business based outside the United States. And every year, happily, the task gets harder. While women remain vastly under‐represented in C‐suites around the world—helming just 13 of the world’s 500 largest companies—there are markedly more female executives each year taking their place at the highest ranks of corporate power.

This year’s list features 17 newcomers, many of whom are leading companies in traditionally male-dominated industries like mining, steelmaking, and oil and gas. Others are the driving forces behind some of the fastest-growing, most innovative, and highly valued startups of the day.

The year 2020, of course, has surprised and tested business leaders like few others—and so this year we’ve looked not just at which women hold power, but also at how they’ve used it. That’s why you’ll find GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley, who has directed many of her drug company’s resources to the fight against COVID-19 (all while keeping up her thriving pharma business), at No. 1. Ping An, the massive insurer No. 2 Jessica Tan coleads, played a pivotal role in responding to China’s outbreak. Others on this list have made meaningful progress on diversity or decarbonization strategies. More women leading well is a trend we’re rooting for.

See the full list here.

By Maria Aspan, Eamon Barrett, Katherine Dunn, Erika Fry, Brett Haensel, Naomi Xu Elegant, and Claire Zillman