Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen's path to becoming the first woman to lead the European Commission was one of breaking barriers within the German political establishment. A trained physician and mother of seven, she entered politics relatively late, joining Angela Merkel's cabinet in 2005. Over 14 years, she helmed two major ministries—Family and then Defence—where she pushed for progressive family policies and ambitious, if sometimes troubled, military modernization. In 2019, she emerged as a compromise candidate to become President of the European Commission, instantly becoming the most powerful woman in EU history. Her tenure has been defined by crises of historic scale: she championed the EU's massive pandemic recovery fund, a unprecedented act of common debt, and later became a steadfast voice supporting Ukraine against Russian invasion. While her style is often criticized as technocratic, her commission has pursued a bold, geopolitical agenda aimed at making Europe a more sovereign and cohesive global actor.