Forbes: The World's 100 Most Powerful Women

The first female prime minister of Thailand took office in early August with a vow to reunite the troubled nation, make good on her party's promises to raise minimum wage and revamp the education and public health systems and, most importantly, rule "independently." Her biggest challenge is in trying to step out of the shadow of her brother, former Prime Minster Thaksin Shinawatra. A full plate for a political novice who, until 2011 worked in real estate development. Her billionaire brother was toppled in a 2006 coup after a tribunal accused him of abuse of power and accruing massive wealth while in office. Shinawatra was educated in both Thailand and the U.S., and has one child with her common-law husband, Anusorn Amornchat.