Three Pakistani women recognised in Forbes ’30 Under 30′ list

Forbes released its ’30 Under 30′ list for 2014 on Monday, in which the business magazine recognises 450 young game-changers across 15 different fields.  This year’s Social Entrepreneurship category features three Pakistani women who they believe are changing the world.

The most well-known face among the three is Malala Yousufzai, whose campaign for girls’ education has already won her many accolades. She is credited with co-founding the Malala Fund and also on the list is her c0-founder Shiza Shahid.

Shahid, a 24-year-old graduate of Stanford University, was also recently acknowledged by Time magazine in December, 2013 as one of 30 people under 30 changing the world.

Shahid, who is also the CEO of the Malala Fund, is quoted in Forbes as saying that with the fund she hoped to leverage Malala’s voice in such a way that the energy surrounding the young activist is transformed into meaningful action.

The third young Pakistani woman on the list is 25-year-old Khalida Brohi. Brohi was only 16 years old when she witnessed the honour killing of her friend, reported Forbes.

This experience led her to found Sughar, a non-profit organisation, which empowers women by providing them with six-month courses on business and crafts. Sughar aids village women in starting their small businesses so that they become more financially independent.

Also on the list, in separate categories, are famous names such as TV actor and director Lena Dunham, tennis star Maria Sharapova and pop sensation Justin Bieber.

Bieber, 19, has earned an estimated $113 million in the last two years from his works. 21-year-old pop star Miley Cyrus also made it onto the list.

Cyrus has sold 270,000 copies of her most recent album Bangerz in its first week after the release.

Other stars who make it onto the list in the category of music include Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Katy Perry, Drake and Lorde.

Jennifer Lawrence, 23, was also on the list. She received the best actress trophy in the Academy Awards for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook. She was also named one of highest-earning actresses in Hollywood, reportedly earning $10 million from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.