Sheryl Sandberg

Last year was all about Sandberg: Her bestselling book, Lean In, helped her become the face of corporate gender equality. This year is all about Facebook. Its 2013 profits jumped an astounding 2,730%, mainly because of increased revenue from mobile ads, and it announced huge deals in early 2014 to acquire virtual-reality company Oculus VR for over $2 billion and buzzy messaging platform WhatsApp for $19 billion. As CEO Mark Zuckerberg's No. 2, Sandberg remains crucial to the company's long-term strategy. She's also the best-paid woman on our list, making $38 million last year.