From mining magnates to tech innovators, these are the four Australians to make Forbes Power Women list in 2025.
Forbes has just unveiled its Most Powerful Women list, with president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, topping the chart for 2025. All in all, 17 newcomers featured on the list of 100, who collectively command US$37 trillion in economic power and influence more than 1 billion people.
Last year, five Australians made this list. This year, it’s four. Here they are.
52. Gina Rinehart
Ranked 52nd among the world’s most powerful women – and the top rank for an Australian – mining magnate Gina Rinehart is executive chairwoman of Hancock Prospecting and the daughter of iron ore explorer Lang Hancock. She rebuilt her late father’s financially distressed company, Hancock Prospecting, making significant investments into rare earth minerals and the gas sector. She is Australia’s second-largest cattle producer, with a portfolio of properties across the country, and the nation’s richest person according to Forbes data.
53. Michele Bullock
The first female Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Michele Bullock has come in at 53rd on Forbes’ Most Powerful Women list. Bullock had worked at the RBA for almost four decades and took on the role of Deputy Chair back in April 2022.
58. Shemara Wikramanayake
58th on the list is Managing Director and CEO of the Macquarie Group, Shemara Wikramanayake, a role she has held since 2018. Wikramanayake joined Macquarie in 1987. She was born in the U.K and spent time in Sri Lanka before immigrating to Australia with her parents when she was 13.
Wikramanayake established Macquarie’s corporate advisory offices in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and funds management businesses in North America.
93. Melanie Perkins
Perth-born founder and CEO Melanie Perkins came in at 93rd on the list this year, down three spots on last year. The 37-year-old founded disruptive tech company Canva in 2013 with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams. Canva’s valuation reached AUD$49 billion in 2024. The platform has 200 million monthly active users and $2.5 billion in annualised revenue.
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