Six new awards recognise exceptional achievements of practising leaders across transformation, innovation, technology, talent, integrity, and thought leadership.
LONDON 3 NOVEMBER 2026 – Thinkers50 has announced the six recipients of its inaugural Leaders50 Distinguished Achievement Awards, at the Leaders50 Awards Gala in London’s Guildhall.
Introduced as part of Thinkers50 25th anniversary celebrations, the Leaders50 Awards recognise practising business leaders whose achievements are making a significant impact on their organisations, industries, and wider society, and honour specific contributions across six areas: transformation, innovation, technology, talent, integrity, and thought leadership.
“For 25 years, Thinkers50 has celebrated the ideas that make business and management better. With the Leaders50 Distinguished Achievement Awards, we are also spotlighting the people who put those ideas into practice. These awards celebrate leaders who are not only achieving exceptional results, but also helping to redefine what outstanding leadership looks like.” – Des Dearlove, co-founder, Thinkers50.
“The six recipients demonstrate that exceptional leadership takes many forms. Whether transforming organisations, developing talent, harnessing technology, or setting new standards of integrity, each has made a distinctive contribution. Their achievements offer valuable lessons and inspiration for leaders everywhere.” – Mikko Leskelä, CEO, Thinkers50.
Leaders50 Transformational Leadership Award
In partnership with Michigan Ross Executive Education and dedicated to the legacy of CK Prahalad
The Transformational Leadership Award honours exceptional change agents who successfully lead significant organisational transformation. They mobilise and motivate people to make a lasting impact on the culture and operation of their organisations.
Recipient: KEN KELLER, CHAIR AND CEO, DAIICHI SANKYO, INC.
“The Thinkers50 inaugural Transformational Leadership Award is presented to an exceptional leader whose actions exemplify how organisations can navigate complexity and unlock human potential. This honour recognises a leader’s commitment to building dynamic learning environments characterized by psychological safety, engagement and collaboration, where teams openly share insights, challenge assumptions, and drive innovation under pressure. By championing a culture that transforms honest feedback and intelligent failure into strategic strength, Ken Keller stands as a true exemplar of high-impact leadership suited for today’s challenges.” – Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School; Thinkers50 #1 Ranking 2021-2023.
Leaders50 Leadership Integrity Award
Sponsored by Deloitte
The Leadership Integrity Award honours leaders who act with honesty, consistency, and courage, particularly when facing pressure, uncertainty, or difficult choices. Their leadership builds trust and creates lasting value for organisations and society.
Recipient: MURSAL HEDAYAT, CEO, CHATTERBOX
“What I find particularly inspiring about Mursal’s leadership is the way she brings together shared values, social impact, community and entrepreneurship. Through Chatterbox, she has created meaningful opportunities for refugees and other overlooked talent while showing that business can be both commercially successful and a force for good.” – Neri Karra Sillaman, author of Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs; Thinkers50 Radar Award 2025.
Leaders50 Talent Magnet Award
In partnership with LHH
The Talent Magnet Award honours leaders who consistently attract exceptional talent and bring out the best in others. Through their personal leadership style and commitment to developing people, they turn their organisations into talent magnets – creating workplaces and cultures that people want to join, and where they can grow, contribute, and stay.
Recipient: JURE KNEZ, CO-FOUNDER, DEWESOFT
“Jure Knez does more than offer people jobs – he creates communities where employees and entrepreneurs can build a future. Through his pioneering Katapult and City of Acrobats projects he has created an entrepreneurial collaborative and an entire city designed to nurture local talent and support entrepreneurs. The City of Acrobats takes the Thinkers50 2025 Breakthrough Idea – the Vested business model – and creates a highly collaborative win-win ecosystem with the bold, shared vision to regenerate Slovenia’s former coal-mining Zasavje region.” – Kate Vitasek, creator of the Vested business model; Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award 2025.
Leaders50 Technology & Human Excellence Award
In partnership with Origina
The Technology and Human Excellence Award honours leaders who exemplify the best of technology-enabled leadership, using technology not simply to drive efficiency, but to amplify human capability, creativity, and contribution.
Recipient: SURESH VENKATARAYALU, CTO, HONEYWELL
“What I appreciate about Suresh is that he puts people at the centre and leads like an entrepreneur. He gets directly involved to understand customers and figure out how to create value. You can’t delegate that responsibility. He invests personally in developing future leaders and challenges them to take the same hands-on approach. His leadership connects the potential of technology with the people who make it count.” – Alex Osterwalder, co-inventor of the Business Model Canvas; Thinkers50 Strategy Award 2015.
Leaders50 Thought Leadership Award
In partnership with Smith Publicity
The Thought Leadership Award honours practitioners who have made a significant addition to our understanding of contemporary leadership theory; recognising leaders’ contributions to the wider field – not just the success of their own organisation.
Recipient: FRANCESCA MORIANI, CEO, VAR GROUP
“Francesca Moriani is not only putting innovative leadership into practice, she is contributing fresh ideas to how we think about leadership itself. Her concept of ‘braveship’ challenges traditional hierarchies and makes a compelling case for distributing responsibility, encouraging autonomy and giving people the courage to act. She is helping to redefine what it means to lead in today’s organisations.” – Mikko Leskelä, CEO, Thinkers50.
Leaders50 Innovation in Leadership Award
In partnership with the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
The Innovation in Leadership Award honours leaders who have introduced original approaches to the practice of leadership, harnessing innovation to influence others and deliver meaningful impact. These are individuals who challenge convention and develop new ways to empower people and achieve results.
Recipient: TARANG AMIN, CEO, e.l.f. BEAUTY
“Tarang Amin is recognised for building a culture that combines employee ownership, inclusive teams and shared accountability to unleash creativity and drive performance. The Innovation in Leadership Award celebrates innovation not simply in what a business creates, but in how its people are empowered to create it.” – Sanyin Siang, Executive Director of the Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business; Thinkers50 Coaching & Mentoring Award 2019.
The awards were presented during the Thinkers50 London Summit & Leaders50 Awards Gala on 2 November 2026, bringing together leading management thinkers and business leaders from around the world to celebrate Thinkers50’s 25th anniversary.
ABOUT THINKERS50
Founded in 2001 by business journalists Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer, Thinkers50 began as the first global Ranking of Management Thinkers. Over the past quarter century, it has grown into a worldwide platform and a vibrant Community. Today, Thinkers50 encompasses the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Awards alongside the Hall of Fame, Radar, Coaching Legends, Leaders50, Coaches50, and curated Booklists. The Leaders50 Distinguished Achievement Awards were launched in 2026, as part of the Thinkers50 25th anniversary celebrations. The Thinkers50 London Summit & Awards Gala has been described by the Financial Times as the “Oscars of management thinking.”
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