General Motors chief executive Mary Barra has risen to the top of Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" list.
She told ABC News "When I started here 33 years ago, I had no idea this is the role I would be playing but I approached every position like I was going to do it for the rest of my life so I think that's a very strong message that hard work pays off".
Elsewhere in the technology sector, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg also makes an appearance at No. 8.
In this year's list, she beat out women such as Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Ginni Rometty, CEO of chairman and president of IBM, and even singer Taylor Swift, who ranked No. 51.
