Bill Gates & Melinda Gates

American icon Bill Gates changed the world when he founded Microsoft, which made personal computers personal with their software line, including Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer. A big part of that success was Melinda French, the company’s General Manager until 1996.

Before becoming GM, she worked in marketing and brought great success to products like Encarta, Publisher,  and Word, among others. Both her and Gates have retired, and in 2000, they started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She is constantly named one of the most influential women globally and made the foundation the biggest private charity organization.