44. Janet Yellen

Janet Yellen is the esteemed economist nominated by President Obama to serve as Chair of the Federal reserve from 2014-2018. She was the first woman to hold this position, which followed previous appointments as Chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors, under Bill Clinton, and professor of business at the University of California’s Haas School of Business.

Yellen has ranked number one on Bloomberg Markets annual list of the 50 most influential economists and policymakers. Since leaving the Federal Reserve, she has continued to be active in economic policy, joining the Brookings Institution’s think-tank in 2018 as a Distinguished Fellow in Residence. There, she is affiliated with the Hutchins Centre on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, alongside her Federal reserve Chair predecessor, Ben Bernanke.

Janet, whose background is Polish-Jewish, was brought up in a traditionally Jewish family in New York, where peers recall her quiet intelligence and the cosiness of her family’s Jewish home. She has received a cavalcade of honours and awards in recognition of her work over the years, including an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University that she proudly accepted in person in 2019.