New Listing of the World’s Most Inspiring Leaders Announced by Thinkers50

Press Release
25 November 2024

NEW LISTING OF THE WORLD’S MOST INSPIRING LEADERS ANNOUNCED BY THINKERS50

Thinkers50, the global authority on management thinking, has unveiled its inaugural Leaders50 of inspiring organisational leaders.

“The challenges facing the world, organisations and individuals are enormous. We do not know all of the elements which will be necessary to begin to tackle these challenges. But, we do know that none will be overcome without leadership. Leaders50 shines a light on some exceptional leaders in the hope that others may learn from them, be inspired by them and take on the mantle of leadership,” says Thinkers50 cofounder Stuart Crainer.

Leaders50 features some familiar names—including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Chanel’s Leena Nair, GM’s Mary Barra, and Ed Bastian of Delta Airlines. But as Leaders50 is truly global and features leaders of non-profits as well as corporations there are plenty of names which are less well known.

These include:

Shelley Zalis, founder and CEO of the Female Quotient: ‘Shelley Zalis refuses to give the status quo the last word. She is our favourite type of leader: relentlessly talented, infectiously visionary, and impatient for a better, more equitable world,’ says Anne Morriss, coauthor of Move Fast & Fix Things.

Etienne Salborn, founder of the Social Innovation Academy, Uganda: ‘Exemplifies transformative leadership through his work with SINA, where he champions a unique self-management approach that empowers marginalised communities to create their own opportunities,’ says Joost Minnaar of Corporate Rebels.

Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva: ‘Melanie Perkins walks the talk of responsible innovation and future-forward leadership. With Canva, she made creativity tools accessible to all, upending the status quo in a way that’s inclusive and deeply human,’ says April Rinne, author of Flux.

Asheesh Advani, Junior Achievement Worldwide: ‘Through his global vision, care and brilliant strategic thinking, he and his team have mobilised over 470,000 volunteers in over 100 countries to reach 15 million students worldwide through their in-school and after school entrepreneurship and life-skills development programs,’ says Julie Carrier, CEO of Girls Lead Worldwide.

Leaders50 includes leaders from more than 20 countries. The biggest grouping is from the United States. Among these leaders it is notable how many are first or second generation immigrants—including Tarang Amin (e.l.f. Beauty), Aicha Evans (Zoox), Jensen Huang (NVIDIA), and Hamdi Ulukaya (Chobani).

“Leadership is universally practised,” observes Stuart Crainer. “And any listing of inspiring leaders has to acknowledge and celebrate leaders from around the world.  We are especially delighted that we have been able to identify some of the great leaders in Africa—such as Patricia Obo-Nai in Ghana and Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli in Nigeria—as well as Asian leaders like Jaehoon Chang (South Korea) and Nand Kishore Chaudhary (India).”

The full Leaders50 listing (in alphabetical order) is:

Asheesh Advani (US)
Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko (Finland)
Tarang Amin (US)
Patrick Awuah (Ghana)
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (Philippines)
Mary Barra (US)
Ed Bastian (US)
Rahul Bhatia (India)
Jaehoon Chang (S Korea)
Nand Kishore Chaudhary (India)
James Daunt (UK)
Pascal Demurger (France)
Saori Dubourg (Germany)
Thasunda Brown Duckett (US)
Axel Dumas (France)
Tony O. Elumelu (Nigeria)
Aicha Evans (US)
Jane Fraser (US)
Mohit Garg (US)
Margo Georgiadis (US)
Adrian Gore (S Africa)
Harish Hande (India)
Demis Hassabis (UK)
Christel Heydemann (France)
Timotheus Höttges (Germany)
Hou Xiaohai  (China)
Jensen Huang (US)
Merete Hverven (Norway)
Hisayuki Idekoba (Japan)
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen (Denmark)
Ilham Kadri (France)
Guilherme Leal (Brazil)
Deb Liu (US)
Mindy Lubber (US)
Ellen Macarthur (UK)
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa (S Africa)
Marc Maurer & Martin Hoffmann (Switzerland)
Satya Nadella (US)
Leena Nair (India)
Jacqueline Novogratz (US)
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli (Nigeria)
Patricia Obo-Nai (Ghana)
Melanie Perkins (Australia)
Etienne Salborn (Germany)
Lisa Su (US)
Julie Sweet (US)
Hamdi Ulukaya (US)
Emma Walmsley (UK)
Xin Hao (China)
Shelley Zalis (US)

MORE ABOUT LEADERS50

How Leaders50 was created

Leaders50 is unique in that nominations were exclusively invited from the Thinkers50 Community of global thought leaders. The Thinkers50 Community is made up of the thinkers who have been included in the Thinkers50 ranking, the Thinkers50 Radar, the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame or been shortlisted for Thinkers50 Awards since 2001. More than 600 leaders were nominated. They were then judged against criteria developed by Thinkers50.  The criteria have three dimensions. 

The foundation elements: 

• Organisational Impact: How is the leader enhancing their organisation’s performance and aligning it with a clear, purposeful vision?  
• Economic Contribution: Is the leader’s work contributing to the local, national or global economy in a positive way?
• Social Purpose: Is the leader advancing social and environmental sustainability, ensuring that their initiatives benefit both humanity and the planet in a harmonious and lasting manner?

The second level of analysis is concerned with character: 

• Role Model: Does the leader act as a positive role model for future leaders by demonstrating empathy, ethical behaviour, and inspiring others through their actions?
• Stakeholder Satisfaction: To what extent does the leader foster stakeholder satisfaction, particularly among employees and customers, by creating a culture of trust and collaboration?
• Leadership Style: Does the leader exhibit a distinctive and effective leadership style that positively influences the organisation’s culture, innovation and overall success?

The final element in our criteria looks to the future and the ability of the leader to build a lasting legacy:

• Leadership Development: Is the leader and their organisation successfully developing leaders who are prepared to meet future challenges and opportunities? 
• Organisational Resilience and Adaptability: Is the leader fostering organisational resilience and adaptability by equipping individuals with the skills, mindset, and resources needed to thrive in a rapidly changing environment?
• Visionary Impact: Does the leader have a compelling and forward-thinking vision that inspires others and drives the organisation toward long-term success and sustainability?

Leaders50 Partners

Institute for Competitiveness, India

Executive Excellence, Spain

Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University 

Global Institute for Leadership & Technology, Germany

The Leadership Consortium, United States 

Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden. 

Contact

Stuart Crainer, Thinkers50