Singapore Powerful Woman

HO CHING, WORLD'S 3RD MOST POWERFUL WOMAN

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Temasek CEO jumps 33 places on Forbes list by Sheralyn Tay@mediacorp.

SHE'S rarely in the media limelight, but Ms Ho Ching's but Ms Ho Ching's stewardship of Temasek holdings has turned her into a "force to be reckoned with" – so much so that she has moved from last year's 36th spot to third in Forbes' latest ranking of the world's 100 most powerful women.
Ms Angela Merkel, the first female German Chancellor, topped the list for the second time in two years while Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi came in second. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the fourth spot while US presidential hopeful senator Hillary Clinton is placed 25th.
According to Forbes, its list - released on Thursday - ranks women who "have crossed certain thresholds", and who are either running organizations or have established a power base in some way.
This power ranking is based on a composite of visibility in the press and economic impact. Each woman is also ranked for her list of career achievements and the size of the economic sphere over which she holds sway, Forbes said. And although Ms Ho - the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – is rarely in the news, Temasek's chief executive has been making her mark in other ways. Under Ms Ho's stewardship, Temasek Holdings has been converted into a leading investor in Asia, noted Forbes. Most recently, Temasek has set its sights on British bank Barclays.
Last year, Temasek's portfolio grew by 27 per cent to US$108 billion ($165 billion) in net value, up from US$80 billion the previous year; the first time Temasek's portfolio has crossed the US$100-billion mark.
But last year's controversial purchase of Thai telecommunications company Shin Corp, as well a slowdown in divestment gains, marred profits somewhat. Net profit for the year ending March 31 fell to $9.1 billion, down from $12.8 billion a year before. Despite this, the figure is still the second highest in the Singapore investment firm's 33-year history. Ms Ho, who has a master's degree in control engineering from Stanford University, held several top positions in both public and private organisations in Singapore before she was named head of Temasek in 2002.

The Top Ten
1. Angela Merkel Chancellor, Germany

2. Wu Yi Vice-Premier, China

3. Ho Ching CEO, Temasek Holdings, Singapore

4. Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State, US

5. Indra K Nooyi Chairman & chief executive, PepsiCo, US

6. Sonia Gandhi Leader of Congress Party, India.

7. Cynthia Carroll Chief executive, Anglo American, United Kingdom

8. Patricia A. Woertz , co-chairman, Archer Daniels Midland, United States

9. Irene Rosenfeld Chairman, chief executive, Kraft Foods, United States

10. Patricia Russo Chief executive, Alcatel-Lucent, United States

* Other Asian women in the top 50 positions include Ms Wu Xiaoling, deputy

governor, People's Bank of China (18); and Ms Margaret Chan,

director-general, World Health Organization (37); and Ms Yang Mianmian,

chairman of Haier Group in China (43).