Beyonce among Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business

Beyonce has been named one of Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business for 2016.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra tops the list for the second consecutive year, with Pepsi Co. boss Indra Nooyi earning second place on the annual countdown, which also features Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg at six.

The poll typically does not feature entertainers, but Fortune editors made an exception this year for Beyonce, choosing the ground-breaking superstar as their "bonus pick" to close out the 51-strong list, which takes into consideration things like the size and importance of the subject's business in the global economy, the arc of her career, and her social and cultural influence.

Fortune experts explained, "This has been the year of Beyonce. Not only did she make music history by becoming the first female artist to have 12 songs on the ­Billboard top 100, but she also made waves in the business world too."

They went on to note the launch of her first 'athleisure' fashion line, Ivy Park, and the continued success of her Parkwood Entertainment management firm, which she founded in 2007 and expanded this year (16) to include a music label.

They also acknowledged the singer's most recent resume addition, after pouring her hard-earned money into a new all-natural beverage company.

The article concluded: "Empowering women seems to be an ongoing theme for the music mogul: In May she announced an investment in WTRMLN WTR, a ­female-founded watermelon-­water startup."

The mention on the list is a belated birthday gift for Beyonce, who turned 35 on Sunday (04Sep16).