The Global Power 50

With 11 newcomers - several of them American expats gone to Europe - our list of the most powerful women in global business demonstrates their rise in male-dominated fields, from nuclear energy to mining to oil.

16 of 50

16. Vivienne Cox

EVP, Gas, Power, and Renewables
BP

Country: Britain
2006 rank: 15

The Oxford-trained chemist's credentials are high octane - a career that spans 30 years at BP and includes stints at the exploration and finance divisions. One of Cox's challenges is to lead the company's clean- and alternative-energy movement. And though 2006 saw just a 3% profit increase, she recently worked out a deal with Rio Tinto, where she's a board member, to develop zero-emission coal technologies.

Cynthia Carroll Anne Lauvergeon Marjorie Scardino Patricia Russo Linda Cook Anne-Marie Idrac Marina Berlusconi Güler Sabanci Ana Patricia Botín Nancy McKinstry Annika Falkengren Ho Ching Maureen Chiquet Maria Ramos Chua Sock Koong Vivienne Cox Clara Furse Angela Ahrendts Barbara Kux Gulzhan Moldazhanova Val Gooding Patricia Barbizet Deb Henretta Cheung Yan Yang Mianmian María Aramburuzabala de Garza Sun Yafang Gail Kelly Lubna Olayan Barbara Stymiest Ingrid Matthäus-Maier Kate Swann Chanda Kochhar Ilene Gordon Galia Maor Pansy Ho Françoise Gri Naina Lal Kidwai Yoshiko Shinohara Barbara Dalibard Teresita Sy-Coson Dominique Hériard Dubreuil Imre Barmanbek Dominique Reiniche Sawako Noma Ofra Strauss Clara Gaymard Dong Mingzhu Li Xiaolin Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

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