Hi Suravira,
Yes, certainly if you’re talking about that circle of people, the Western Ajhan Chah Group, and a few other people, are the ones that are well known. And, as you say, Bhikkhuni’s are not particularly visible there (not that they are more visible in the SE Asian Monaseries of course!).
As I said here: Phalañānī Bhikkhuni, Women's Day - #5 by mikenz66 In over ten years of Dhamma contact I’ve only every had a serious conversation with one Bhikkhuni, and I had to travel up a mountain in Thailand in an ancient Hilux to do that…
You mean the Western Ajahn Chah Bhikkhus? They obviously do have tremendous influence in the Western circles you mention, and those I’ve met have been very helpful to me.
And they do seem to be widely respected outside Western communities. When Ajahn Tiradhammo http://www.dhammagiri.org.au/ajahn-tiradhammo-biography.html (who lived in New Zealand for a time a few years ago) visited my local Thai Wat and gave a talk in Thai he was very well received by the Thai lay people, who do recognise the Ajahn Chah brand. However, Buddhist monasteries fall into many, many, independent groupings, and it’s not clear that there is any particular influence between those groups, apart from mutual respect.