Daughter of immediate past Angolan president, Isabel dos Santos has emerged as the only African in the 2017 Forbes 100 world’s most powerful women, she ranked 74th on the affluence list.
The 44-year-old was also the only African to have made it to Forbes magazine’s ranking of the top 100 women for this year.
Agency report stated that, Isabel who is currently head of the national oil firm, Sonangol, is believed to be worth $3.4bn as of November 2017. Her business interests are in the area of finance and investment.
FORBES research claims to have found that her dad had transferred stakes in several Angolan companies to her.
According to the ranking that was published recently, the German chancellor Angela Merkel was ranked the most powerful woman. She is followed by the British Prime Minister, Theresa May in second place.
Third, fourth and fifth places were occupied by Melinda Gates (of Bill and Melinda Gates foundation), Sheryl Sandberg (U.S. tech executive) and Mary Teresa Barry (CEO, General Motors) respectively.
The sixth to tenth slot is as follows: Susuan Wojcicki, Abigail Johnson, Christine Lagarde, Anna Patricia Botin and Ginni Rometty.
Other prominent women and their respective positions on the ranking are as follows. Federica Mogherini of the E.U. (17th), Ivanka Trump daughter of U.S. president (19th), Oprah Winfrey (21st), Judges of the U.S. Supreme Court (24th).
Queen Elizabeth II (26th), Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi (33rd), UAE’s Shekiha Lubna Al-Qasim (36th), U.S. envoy to the U.N., Nikki Haley (43rd), Beyonce Knowles (50th), Hillary Clinton (65th) and Priscilla Chan Zuckerburg – wife of Facebook CEO (69th).
It will be recalled that Isabel, in June 2016, was appointed by her father as head of Sonangol, Angola’s state oil firm. Her assets in Angola include 25% of Unitel, the country’s largest mobile phone network, and 42% of a bank, Banco BIC.
In Portugal she owns nearly 6 per cent of oil and gas firm Galp Energia (alongside Portuguese billionaire Americo Amorim). She also holds nearly 19% of Banco BPI, the country’s fourth-largest bank
She is also a controlling shareholder of Portuguese cable TV and telecom firm Nos SGPS (formerly called Zon).
Despite October 2015 calls by four members of the European Parliament calling for a probe into her Portuguese investments, a family spokesman fends off the allegations.
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