Aug 31, 2007
Forbes ranks Ho Ching world's 3rd most powerful woman
Wu Yi (above), Vice-PM of China is the second most powerful woman in the world (after Angela Merkel). -- PHOTO: AP
TEMASEK Holdings chief executive Ho Ching has surged up an annual list of the world's most powerful women compiled by leading business magazine Forbes.
Ranked 36th last year, Ms Ho climbed an impressive 33 spots to finish in third place, behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China's Vice-Premier Wu Yi.
Ms Ho, 54, wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has headed the Singapore investment company since 2002 and is credited with boosting its investment portfolio.
Ms Ho and Ms Wu both leapfrogged last year's No. 2, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was ranked fourth this year.
Rounding out the top-five is Indian-born Indra Nooyi, chief executive of soft-drink giant PepsiCo.
Forbes said Ms Ho's global influence had continued to grow despite her low profile. 'Although she is the wife of the Prime Minister of Singapore and chief executive of the country's state-owned investment company, Ms Ho is rarely seen or heard from,' it said on its website.
'But increasingly, she is a force to be reckoned with, as her deal-making ambitions span the globe.
'Ms Ho has been credited with converting Temasek from a Singapore-focused firm to a leading investor in Asia, making investments in Indian and Chinese companies, primarily in the telecom and banking sectors.'
Forbes said that, thanks to Ms Ho's efforts, the net value of Temasek's portfolio had grown 27 per cent from $129 billion last year to $164 billion (US$108 billion) this year, the first time it had crossed the US$100 billion mark.
Temasek has also been increasingly held up as the model for many countries setting up state-owned investment vehicles. Kazakhstan, Indonesia and China are among some of the countries in the region, which have studied the Temasek model.
In its write-up, Forbes also highlighted two of Temasek's recent mega deals: the takeover of Thailand's Shin Corp and plans to invest in British bank Barclays.
The latest Forbes list ranks the top 100 women who shape governments and lead corporations, non-profit organisations and media empires, among others.
The power ranking score is based on a composite of visibility - measured by press citations - and economic impact.
Economic impact reflects an individual's resume, the size of the economic sphere over which she holds sway, and a multiplier which aims to make various financial yardsticks comparable.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2...ry_153476.html
Forbes ranks Ho Ching world's 3rd most powerful woman 
Linear Mode
