The 2020 Athena40 List
(in alphabetical order)
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The Athena40 Global List 2020 is the first-ever merit-based selection of some of the world's most forward-thinking women. The women below create positive change in their industries or countries. We aspire to draw international attention also to those role models who are less known.
Any woman can be nominated by the public. The 120 shortlisted powerhouses below have been voted by a panel of 58 independent, international judges.​
The 40 most influential ones, as decided by our judges, have been announced on April 23 2021.
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 Her Majesty Queen RaniaAthena40 Innovative Leadership |  Ola Abu Al GhaibAthena40 Positive Impact |  Dr Menna AbukhadraAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Bisi Adeleye FayemiAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |  Aya AghabiAthena40 Positive Impact |  Ahlam AkramAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |
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 Folorunso AlakiyaAthena40 Innovative Leadership |  Basma AlaweeAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Mais AljunaidyAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Ghada AmerAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Anousheh AnsariAthena40 Ethics in Business |  Jacinda ArdernAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |
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 Susan ArefAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Hanan AshrawiAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Manal AtayaAthena40 Positive Impact |  Cecilia AttiasAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Judi AubelAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Michelle BacheletAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |
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 Ruth Bader GinsburgAthena40 Original Thinking |  Laura Jordan BambachAthena40 Innovative Leadership |  Abisola BarberAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Barbie - The DollAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Sadiqa Basiri SaleemAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Baroness Karren BradyAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |
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 Francesca BriaAthena40 Tech for Good |  Tory BurchAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Kesha CashAthena40 Ethics in Business |  Sunitha Chandrasekhar SrinivasAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Jung ChangAthena40 Original Thinking |  Jazmin Chi AguillonAthena40 Positive Impact |
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 Amal ClooneyAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |  Mercedes ColwinAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Duchess of CornwallAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |  Geena DavisAthena40 Original Thinking |  Tessy de NassauAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Wendy DiamondAthena40 Women-led Solutions |
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 Paola DianaAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Simay DincAthena40 Innovative Leadership |  Bineta DiopAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Dame Linda DobbsAthena40 Positive Impact |  Jennifer DoudnaAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Qabale DubaAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |
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 Erika EnderAthena40 Positive Impact |  Audette ExelAthena40 Ethics in Business |  Lucy Findlay MBEAthena40 Innovative Leadership |  Senait FissehaAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Jane FondaAthena40 Positive Impact |  Rocio FonsecaAthena40 Innovative Leadership |
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 Melinda GatesAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |  Julia GIllardAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Tatiana GoncharovaAthena40 Positive Impact |  Emma GonzalezAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Miriam Gonzalez DurantezAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Lennie GoodingsAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |
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 Hildur GuðnadóttirAthena40 Original Thinking |  Rebeca GyumiAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Dr Jo HandelsmanAthena40 Original Thinking |  Rocky HehakaijaAthena40 Positive Impact |  Katrin JakobsdottirAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Mae C. JemisonAthena40 Women-led Solutions |
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 Ellen Johnson SirleafAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Angelina JolieAthena40 Positive Impact |  Memory KachambwaAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Dr Gada KadodaAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Roula KhalafAthena40 Original Thinking |  Shainoor KhojaAthena40 Positive Impact |
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 Silvana Koch-MehrinAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Dilan Mizrakli LandgraffAthena40 Innovative Leadership |  Zahra LanghiAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Dr Patricia LewisAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Sophie LohdeAthena40 Tech for Good |  Rebecca LolosoliAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |
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 Yasmin MahmoodAthena40 Tech for Good |  Sara Al MadaniAthena40 Ethics in Business |  Mena MangalAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Nermine MansourAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Sanna MarinAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Joanna MaycockAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |
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 Phumzile Mblamo NgcukaAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Maria Isabel Mejia JaramilloAthena40 Ethics in Business |  Jilian MercadoAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Dana MortensonAthena40 Positive Impact |  Donna MortonAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Princess Mabel van OranjeAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |
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 Cindy NavaAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Mary Nazzal-BataynehAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Lin Nien-TzuAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Jacqueline NovogratzAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |  Nnenna NwakanmaAthena40 Tech for Good |  Michelle ObamaAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |
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 Amanda ObidikeAthena40 Positive Impact |  Ivana I. OsagieAthena40 Positive Impact |  Alexandra PapadopoulouAthena40 Collaborative Leadership |  Mariane PearlAthena40 Positive Impact |  Sheikha Jawaher Al QasimiAthena40 Positive Impact |  Cornelia RobinsonAthena40 Ethics in Business |
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 Claudia Romo EdelmanAthena40 Positive Impact |  Cindy RoseAthena40 Tech for Good |  Maria Teresa RuizAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Basma Al SaidAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Shamim SarifAthena40 Original Thinking |  Sahana SasikumarAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |
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 Sara SeagerAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Elif SafakAthena40 Original Thinking |  Durreen ShahnazAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Dame Steve ShirleyAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |  Chetna SinhaAthena40 Innovative Leadership |  MC SofiaAthena40 Original Thinking |
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 Duchess of SussexAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |  Audrey TangAthena40 Tech for Good |  Sabriye TenberkenAthena40 Positive Impact |  Greta ThunbergAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Nurdeniz TuncerAthena40 Women-led Solutions |  Mpho Tutu Van FurthAthena40 Gender Diversity & Equality |
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 Karen WalkerAthena40 Ethics in Business |  Elizabeth WarrenAthena40 Positive Impact |  Emma WatsonAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Oprah WinfreyAthena40 Women-led Philanthropy |  Malala YousafzaiAthena40 Empowering Young Girls |  Shoshana ZuboffAthena40 Original Thinking |
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