Europe’s businesswoman of the year is today named as Ana Patricia Botín, chairman of Banesto, the Spanish retail bank, in the second annual ranking of outstanding female corporate leaders by the Financial Times and its sister paper, FT ­Deutschland.

Ms Botín moves into the top position from number two last year, replacing Sari Baldauf, the former head of Nokia Networks, who quit the mobile phone group in December to pursue other interests. In second place this year is Anne Lauvergeon, head of Areva, the French state-owned nuclear group.