The World’s Most Powerful Women: July 7

A striking image accompanying a story in the respected German newspaper Die Welt caught my eye recently. The image, of Germany’s Angela Merkel, Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon, and the U.K.’s Theresa May, appeared under the headline: “In the hands of these women is the future of Europe.” It reminded me of a February 1999 Time cover depicting Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin, and Larry Summers as “The Committee to Save the World” after the Asian economic crisis.

The piece in Die Welt, which argued that women were on the scene to “clean up the mess created by the men” following Brexit, came amid other odes to the new posse of female power players in Europe. The Guardian chimed in by noting that Anna Soubry, the business minister who is backing May for Tory leader, bluntly said, “We’ve had enough of these boys messing about.”

The Financial Times went even further, arguing that in the aftermath of the vote to leave the EU, Britain’s male leaders did not act all that statesmanlike, but Merkel, Sturgeon, and May behaved like “the grown-ups in the Brexit playground.” Fair enough. But Merkel is under siege at home, Sturgeon may be about to embark on a difficult independence referendum from the U.K., and May is not yet in the prime minister’s chair. The hard work for all three is yet to come.

Laura Cohn

@laurascohn

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

A vice for art
Russian businesswoman Dasha Zhukova, the editor in chief of the art pub Garage Magazine that's featured Damien Hirst, has sold her publication to Vice Media for an undisclosed sum. Zhukova, whose husband is Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, founded the online art site Artsy with Wendi Deng and Eric Schmidt of Google.
Financial Times

Have cheese, will travel

French businesswoman Laure Dubouloz is a third-generation cheesemonger with a dream job. Dubouloz, U.S. general manager for cheese seller Mons Fromager Affineur, travels throughout the U.S. to host tastings and teach about cheese. So, how can I sign up?

Wall Street Journal

A step back for boards

Last year, when FTSE 100 companies said women held 26.1% of board positions, they were hailed for beating the government's target of 25%. But now, things have slowed. New figures show that more recently, just 24.7% of new board positions went to women, marking the lowest level in five years.

Financial Times

It isn't easy being Green

It has been a rough few months for Tina Green. In the latest development in the investigation into the fall of retailer BHS, which was once owned by her retail tycoon husband, Green attempted to deflect criticism of the family's firms that are based offshore. She told MPs in a letter that the companies are based in Jersey and the British Virgin Islands because of their "strong regulatory regimes."

Guardian

THE AMERICAS

A female focus at Facebook

Facebook is getting in on the hot trend of holding conferences for female execs. Deborah Liu, the social network's vp of platform and marketplaces, announced that Facebook would sponsor a conference called "Women in Product" at its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters in September.

Fortune

A female first at Verizon?

If Verizon buys Yahoo, the spotlight will be on exec Marni Walden, Bloomberg reports. Walden, Verizon's head of product innovation and new businesses, could wind up as the company's first female CEO.

Bloomberg

An opening in Argentina

In an interview, Argentinian Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra says her country has turned the corner and is now open to European trade and investment. Malcorra is among the five women running to be the next UN secretary general.

Politico

ASIA-PACIFIC

Demoted in India

A high-ranking female Indian politician who oversaw education has been demoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Smriti Irani, known for her outspokenness and for fighting on Twitter with political opponents, was transferred to the textiles agency in an effort by Modi to lower her profile and improve his party's chances in next year's elections.

New York Times