Coca-Cola Amatil’s Alison Watkins is lone Australian on Fortune’s list of most powerful women

For leading cost-cutting plans on Coca-Cola’s Australian producer and distributor, Alison Watkins has made it to Fortune magazine’s list of most powerful women in business.

The 53-year-old group managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil ranked 47th on Fortune’s 2016 global ranking and 22nd on the latest Asian ranking.

According to Fortune magazine, Watkins was instrumental on Coca-Cola Amatil’s 20.5 percent increase in profit in 2015, a year after she took over as CEO. She also stirred the company’s US$75 million (AU$97.5 million) cost-cutting initiative while revamping Coca-Cola Amatil’s beverage product line.

Under Watkin’s leadership, Coca-Cola Amatil registered a US$296 million (AU$393 million) profit and US$3.9 billion (AU$5.2 billion) revenues in 2015.

Prior to joining Coca-Cola Amatil, Watkins has worked for GrainCorp Limited, Berri Limited, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, McKinsey & Company, Woolworths Limited, and Just Group Limited.

Global Top 10 women

Meanwhile, Ana Botin of Spain’s Banco Santander topped the Fortune 2016 ranking of the world’s most powerful women in business. State Bank of India chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya ranked second.

Engie CEO Isabelle Kocher of France landed on the third spot while Singapore Telecommunications Group CEO Chua Sock Koong ranked fourth. Chanda Kochhar, managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank in India, placed fifth while Alison Cooper, CEO of UK’s Imperial Brands, made it to the sixth spot.

Turkey’s Güler Sabancı, chairman of Sabancı Holding, ranked seventh as Singapore’s Ho Ching, Temasek executive director and CEO placed eighth. Annika Falkengren, CEO and president of SEB Group of Sweden, landed on the ninth spot as Ornella Barra, co-COO of UK’s Walgreens Boots Alliance made it to the 10th spot.

Like Watkins, metal and mining magnate Gina Rinehart of Hancock Prospecting is the lone Australian who made it to Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s most powerful women. Considered as the richest individual across Australia, Rinehart placed 51st on the 2016 global ranking.