Mining magnate Gina Rinehart is one of 37 women to claim 33 places in TIME Magazine’s annual 100 most influential people list. She’s the only Australian to appear – with even Prime Minister Julia Gillard missing out.
TIME gave Rinehart the spot for multiplying the fortune she inherited from father Lang Hancock in 1992 “hundreds of times over”. Her TIME profile also mentions how she’s managed to acquire large areas of mineral-rich land in Western Australia, her decade of legal and personal disputes, growing stake in media, and personal belief that mining will “save” Australia.
Along with Gillard, Hilary Clinton and Angela Merkel did not make the list. “It’s our conviction that the people we singled out, for better or for worse, are moving things forward,” TIME magazine executive editor Radhika Jones said in a video address about the feature.
Three of TIME’s seven covers on the special feature women: Pakistani education advocate Malala Yousafzai, Chinese tennis player Li Na and American actress Jennifer Lawrence.
“I think Malala is part of a bigger movement about women’s rights and women’s opportunities and how far those can go,” Jones said.
(See more from the list below images)
Five businesswomen made the list: Sheryl Sandberg, COO at Facebook; Marissa Mayer, CEO at Yahoo; Roya Mahboob, internet and technology entrepreneur in Afghanistan; Daphne Koller, cofounder of online education provider Coursera, and Rinehart.
Political leaders to make the list included: Joyce Banda, President of Malawi; Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese democracy advocate and politician; Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea; Kamala Harris, Attorney General of California; Valerie Jarrett, one of President Barrack Obama’s advisors, and Susanna Martinez, Governor of New Mexico.
A number of first ladies and political partners also make the cut including Michelle Obama, China’s first lady Peng Liyuan and Duchess Kate Middleton.
Many women made the list for technological, research or advocacy reasons, with Jones explaining the list focused on picking people who are “innovative, showing a new path forward, really excelling in the arts, making a difference”.
Medical achievers including oncologist Kimberly Blackwell and AIDs researchers Hannah Gay, Katherine Luzuriaga and Deborah Persaud also made the list, as did UNICEF developers Erica Kochi and Christopher Fabian for their breakthrough technology for easy birth registering in developing countries.
Advocates such as Gabrielle Giffords, Vrinda Grover, a women’s rights campaigner in India, and Mary Nichols, environmentalist and Head of the California Air Resources Board were recognised for their powerful and growing clout. Elena Kagan, the only female Supreme Court judge in the United States was also on the list. Cultural creators and entertainers challenging the norms were also recognised.
Screenwriters and producers Shonda Rhimes, Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham were celebrated for breaking new ground for millions of viewers. Entertainers Jennifer Lawrence, Beyonce (also an entrepreneur), Christina Aguilera, Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade made the list, as did multi-award winning British author Hillary Mantel. Sportswomen Li Na, and alpine ski racer Lindsay Vonn, were also recognised.