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Immelt, 59, is ranked No. 24 on the Forbes list, which ranks Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world's most powerful person, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama.
GE is headquartered in Fairfield and is the ninth biggest public company in the world, says the magazine.
"Immelt oversees one of the most diverse businesses on the planet, a manufacturer of everything from aircraft engines to lightbulbs to TV sitcoms," Forbes wrote.
In November Immelt accepted a business leadership award in Stamford where he said the company would always have a "big presence" in Connecticut even as a search continues for a new location for its headquarters, according to a Connecticut Post story.
Immelt made the remarks as he accepted the Walter H. Wheeler Jr. Business Leadership Award from the Stamford-based Business Council of Fairfield County, the Post said.
As he confirmed GE is looking at a possible move out of state, Immelt said, “We will always have a big presence in Connecticut.”
In addition to its headquarters in Fairfield, GE also has offices in Stamford and Norwalk as well as in locations upstate.
GE announced earlier this year that it might move its headquarters out of state after the General Assembly approved a budget that would allow Connecticut to levy taxes on corporate income that companies have previously attributed it to other jurisdictions.
Click here to read Forbes' complete ranking of the most powerful people in the world.
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