Melinda Gates Tops Newspaper’s ‘Women to Watch’ List

Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is the No. 1 “woman to watch,” according to a listing of the top 50 women leaders around the world by The Wall Street Journal.

Ms. Gates started talking to Bill Gates about how best to give his fortune away even before the couple married, Mr. Gates tells the Journal.

Ms. Gates, 42, rose through the ranks at Microsoft before her marriage prompted her to step aside. She now spends a lot of her time learning about the science behind the technology the couple’s foundation supports to improve world health. Along the way, she lends a different touch to their work.

“She asks smart questions,” David Heymann, of the World Health Organization, tells the newspaper. “She’s so humble in her interactions with others.”

The Journal’s special report, Women to Watch, ranks Helene Gayle, chief executive at CARE, No. 45 on the list, saying that she has pushed the organization to focus on results.

(A paid subscription is required to view the article and the report.)