Thinkers50 2019 Ranking
#1. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Inventors of the ground-breaking “blue ocean strategy”, paving the way for organizations to break out of fixed market boundaries and create a whole new space.
#2. Roger Martin
Prolific researcher providing valuable insights in strategy, governance, democratic capitalism, and social innovation.
#3. Amy Edmondson
Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of succesful teaming.
#4. Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur
The brains behind the world-renowned “business model canvas” – instrumental in helping new businesses put strategy into practice.
#5. Rita McGrath
Globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship; champion of harnessing disruptive influences for competitive advantage.
#6. Daniel Pink
Recognized expert on the science of motivation, the science of timing, and the business zeitgeist; writes and creates at the intersection of work, psychology, and society.
#7. Richard D’Aveni
Expert on competitive dynamics and disruptive production, and a powerful voice on the future impact of technology.
#8. Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee
Launched into the thought leadership stratosphere in 2014 with The Second Machine Age, their work contiunes to provide a road-map for success in a digital economy.
#9. Scott D. Anthony
Leading adviser on innovation and champion of “dual transformation” strategy, helping businesses to turn disruption into advantage.
#10. Adam Grant
Specialist in organizational psychology, focusing on originality, motivation, non-conformity, generosity, meaningful work, and success.
#11. Simon Sinek
Leadership visionary with the intent to change how business leaders think, act, and operate, to create environments in which people work at their natural best.
#12. Eric Ries
Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and business visionary, applying lean business principles to the reinvention of Wall Street.
#13. Lynda Gratton
Psychologist, with a unique focus on organizational change, and the movement of business from a competitive to a more collaborative work space.
#14. Whitney Johnson
Expert on the powers of disruption, and the ways to grasp the opportunities of change, starting with the personal.
#15. Zhang Ruimin
World-renowned entrepreneur, creating a unique, innovative, evolving business model that fuses management philosophies of east and west.
#16. Hal Gregersen
Catalytic questioner and global innovator, exploring how asking the right questions builds leadership and innovation, and drives purposeful change.
#17. Liz Wiseman
Best-selling author, proponent of talent development through leadership, advocates the power of harnessing collective intelligence.
#18. Herminia Ibarra
Distinguished authority on leadership and career development, advocating the importance of strategic networks, and the value of collaboration.
#19. Pankaj Ghemawat
Pankaj Ghemawat Strategy professor and renowned globalization expert, renowed for his robust analysis of global trends.
#20. Martin Lindstrom
International branding expert, who has led deep research into the minds of buyers, applying insights from neuroscience to develop the concept of “buyology”.
#21. Francesca Gino
Award-winning professor, researcher, and author, focused on how people can have more productive, creative, fulfilling lives.
#22. Linda Hill
Top expert on leadership and innovation, focused on global strategies, and how to harness creativity and engagement for strategic implementation.
#23. Steve Blank
Serial entrepreneur, and creator of the customer development method that launched the renowned lean startup movement.
#24. Subir Chowdhury
“The quality prophet”, and best-selling author on “six sigma” philosophy, with insightful research on how quality affects all levels of business function and public policy.
#25. Anil Gupta & Haiyan Wang
Global strategists, experts on entrepreneurship and the transformational rise of emerging markets, foremost China and India.
#26. Morten Hansen
Author, professor, and management theorist, with award-winning work on social networks, collaboration, knowledge management, and corporate innovation.
#27. Nilofer Merchant
Prominent thought leader and strategist on the future of work in the social era, advocating for people in a technology-driven workspace.
#28. Ming Zeng
Global strategy expert, advocating the value of total transparency in the high-tech online market in China and beyond.
#29. Michael D Watkins
Leadership transition expert, creating specific strategies to help professionals deal with both personal adaptive changes and organizational change challenges.
#30. Rachel Botsman
World-renowned expert on the explosive new era of trust and technology and what this means for life, work, and how we do business.
#31. Gary Hamel
Bureaucracy buster, champion of management revolution, and advocate for innovation as the driver of wealth creation.
#32. Erin Meyer
Specialist on cross-cultural management, her evaluation of different cultures has resulted in a strategic framework for organizations seeking international success.
#33. Susan David
Award-winning psychologist who applies her knowledge of emotions, human motivation, and change to individuals and organizations.
#34. Seth Godin
Marketing pioneer, unleashing the power of the consumer and the importance of building trust, connections, and positioning in the market place.
#35. Amy Cuddy
Best-selling author, award-winning lecturer, and social psychology expert on the behavioural science of power, presence, and prejudice.
#36. Marshall Van Alstyne & Geoff Parker
Developed the concept of two-sided markets, which is used extensively in platform business models, and delivered the first comprehensive analysis of platform technology.
#37. Gianpiero Petriglieri
Expert on leadership and learning in the workplace, notably leadership in the age of “nomadic preofessionalism”, and broadening and strengthening leadership communities.
#38. Marcus Buckingham
Originator of the strengths movement, who challenges and inspires people to find and apply their strengths.
#39. Frederic Laloux
Former business coach who has sparked a global movement of organizations adopting radically more powerful – and soulful – management practices.
#40. Gary P. Pisano
Mastering the art of sustaining growth in large companies through the creation of a strategy, system and culture of innovation.
#41. Jim Collins
Socratic advisor to leaders, focusing on what makes a business great and not just good; introduced five levels of leadership and the flywheel effect.
#42. Sheena Iyengar
Leading expert on choice, studying the factors that influence the choices we make and how choice and meaning are intertwined.
#43. Stew Friedman
“Total leadership” guru, award-winning teacher, and best-selling author who explores how good leadership goes hand in hand with a richer life.
#44. Sydney Finkelstein
Award-winning professor renowned for his research on leadership, strategy, and corporate governance and how to become a “superboss”.
#45. Julian Birkinshaw
Recognised expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, and renewal in large corporations; prolific author making unique contributions on work practices as competitive advantage.
#46. David Burkus
Leadership, innovation, and strategy podcaster; author, speaker, and educator on working smarter to improve your work and life.
#47. Heidi Grant
Neuroscience-based talent strategist – teaching us the science of human performance, motivation, and decision-making.
#48. Dorie Clark
Self-reinvention and branding expert, showing others how to take control of their professional lives and make an impact on the world.
#49. Michael Jacobides
Champion of business ecosystems and digital platforms, collaboration and partnership; specialist on corporate turnarounds and organizational transformation.
#50. Tiffani Bova
Top influencer in customer experience, digital transformation, business model innovation, and the future of work.
Thinkers50 2017 Ranking
#1. Roger Martin
Prolific researcher providing valuable insights in strategy, governance, democratic capitalism, and social innovation.
#2. Don Tapscott
One of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society, pioneer in the advancement of the blockchain.
#3. Clayton Christensen
The architect of disruptive innovation, twice topped the Thinkers50 rankings, in 2013 and 2011.
#4. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Inventors of the ground-breaking “blue ocean strategy”, paving the way for organizations to break out of fixed market boundaries and create a whole new space.
#5. Michael Porter
The father of modern business strategy, and the most cited scholar today in economics and business.
#6. Marshall Goldsmith
One of the world’s leading executive educators, coaches, and authors, who was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2018.
#7. Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur
The brains behind the world-renowned “business model canvas” – instrumental in helping new businesses put strategy into practice.
#8. Adam Grant
Specialist in organizational psychology, focusing on originality, motivation, non-conformity, generosity, meaningful work, and success.
#9. Richard D’Aveni
Expert on competitive dynamics and disruptive production, and a powerful voice on the future impact of technology.
#10. Rita McGrath
Globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship; champion of harnessing disruptive influences for competitive advantage.
#11. Daniel Pink
Recognized expert on the science of motivation, the science of timing, and the business zeitgeist; writes and creates at the intersection of work, psychology, and society.
#12. Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee
Launched into the thought leadership stratosphere in 2014 with The Second Machine Age, their work contiunes to provide a road-map for success in a digital economy.
#13. Amy Edmondson
Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of succesful teaming.
#14. Steve Blank
Serial entrepreneur, and creator of the customer development method that launched the renowned lean startup movement.
#15. Linda Hill
Top expert on leadership and innovation, focused on global strategies, and how to harness creativity and engagement for strategic implementation.
#16. Eric Ries
Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and business visionary, applying lean business principles to the reinvention of Wall Street.
#17. Pankaj Ghemawat
Pankaj Ghemawat Strategy professor and renowned globalization expert, renowed for his robust analysis of global trends.
#18. Simon Sinek
Leadership visionary with the intent to change how business leaders think, act, and operate, to create environments in which people work at their natural best.
#19. Richard Florida
Urbanist, champion of gentrification and the positive role of the “creative class” on city neighbourhood rejuvenation.
#20. Herminia Ibarra
Distinguished authority on leadership and career development, advocating the importance of strategic networks, and the value of collaboration.
#21. Vijay Govindarajan
Leading expert on strategy and innovation, teaches how to facilitate and execute breakthrough ideas to generate growth.
#22. Nilofer Merchant
Prominent thought leader and strategist on the future of work in the social era, advocating for people in a technology-driven workspace.
#23. Sydney Finkelstein
Award-winning professor renowned for his research on leadership, strategy, and corporate governance and how to become a “superboss”.
#24. Hal Gregersen
Catalytic questioner and global innovator, exploring how asking the right questions builds leadership and innovation, and drives purposeful change.
#25. Hermann Simon
Expert in strategy, marketing, and pricing, with a focus on how pricing can create new markets and help businesses gain a sustained, competitive advantage.
#26. Zhang Ruimin
World-renowned entrepreneur, creating a unique, innovative, evolving business model that fuses management philosophies of east and west.
#27. Subir Chowdhury
“The quality prophet”, and best-selling author on “six sigma” philosophy, with insightful research on how quality affects all levels of business function and public policy.
#28. Anil Gupta & Haiyan Wang
Global strategists, experts on entrepreneurship and the transformational rise of emerging markets, foremost China and India.
#29. Lynda Gratton
Psychologist, with a unique focus on organizational change, and the movement of business from a competitive to a more collaborative work space.
#30. Whitney Johnson
Expert on the powers of disruption, and the ways to grasp the opportunities of change, starting with the personal.
#31. Jim Collins
Socratic advisor to leaders, focusing on what makes a business great and not just good; introduced five levels of leadership and the flywheel effect.
#32. Gary Hamel
Bureaucracy buster, champion of management revolution, and advocate for innovation as the driver of wealth creation.
#33. Seth Godin
Marketing pioneer, unleashing the power of the consumer and the importance of building trust, connections, and positioning in the market place.
#34. Scott D. Anthony
Leading adviser on innovation and champion of “dual transformation” strategy, helping businesses to turn disruption into advantage.
#35. Liz Wiseman
Best-selling author, proponent of talent development through leadership, advocates the power of harnessing collective intelligence.
#36. Martin Lindstrom
International branding expert, who has led deep research into the minds of buyers, applying insights from neuroscience to develop the concept of “buyology”.
#37. Tammy Erickson
Leading analyst of the changing workforce, with a focus on generational differences, and how organizations can engage the hearts and minds of their employees.
#38. Stew Friedman
“Total leadership” guru, award-winning teacher, and best-selling author who explores how good leadership goes hand in hand with a richer life.
#39. Erin Meyer
Specialist on cross-cultural management, her evaluation of different cultures has resulted in a strategic framework for organizations seeking international success.
#40. Susan David
Award-winning psychologist who applies her knowledge of emotions, human motivation, and change to individuals and organizations.
#41. Morten Hansen
Author, professor, and management theorist, with award-winning work on social networks, collaboration, knowledge management, and corporate innovation.
#42. Henry Chesbrough
Innovation thought leader who launched the “open innovation” paradigm; his research focuses on technology management and innovation strategy.
#43. Amy Cuddy
Best-selling author, award-winning lecturer, and social psychology expert on the behavioural science of power, presence, and prejudice.
#44. Jennifer Aaker
A highly creative and innovative business professor, teaching courses ranging from happiness, humour, purpose, and empathy to augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
#45. Julian Birkinshaw
Recognised expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, and renewal in large corporations; prolific author making unique contributions on work practices as competitive advantage.
#46. Rachel Botsman
World-renowned expert on the explosive new era of trust and technology and what this means for life, work, and how we do business.
#47. Gianpiero Petriglieri
Expert on leadership and learning in the workplace, notably leadership in the age of “nomadic preofessionalism”, and broadening and strengthening leadership communities.
#48. David Burkus
Leadership, innovation, and strategy podcaster; author, speaker, and educator on working smarter to improve your work and life.
#49. Francesca Gino
Award-winning professor, researcher, and author, focused on how people can have more productive, creative, fulfilling lives.
#50. Heidi Grant
Neuroscience-based talent strategist – teaching us the science of human performance, motivation, and decision-making.
Thinkers50 2015 Ranking The complete press release provides additional analysis of the 2015 results.
#1. Michael Porter
The father of modern business strategy, and the most cited scholar today in economics and business.
#2. Clayton Christensen
The architect of disruptive innovation, twice topped the Thinkers50 rankings, in 2013 and 2011.
#3. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Inventors of the ground-breaking “blue ocean strategy”, paving the way for organizations to break out of fixed market boundaries and create a whole new space.
#4. Don Tapscott
One of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society, pioneer in the advancement of the blockchain.
#5. Marshall Goldsmith
One of the world’s leading executive educators, coaches, and authors, who was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2018.
#6. Linda Hill
Top expert on leadership and innovation, focused on global strategies, and how to harness creativity and engagement for strategic implementation.
#7. Roger Martin
Prolific researcher providing valuable insights in strategy, governance, democratic capitalism, and social innovation.
#8. Herminia Ibarra
Distinguished authority on leadership and career development, advocating the importance of strategic networks, and the value of collaboration.
#9. Rita McGrath
Globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship; champion of harnessing disruptive influences for competitive advantage.
#10. Daniel Pink
Recognized expert on the science of motivation, the science of timing, and the business zeitgeist; writes and creates at the intersection of work, psychology, and society.
#11. Richard D’Aveni
Expert on competitive dynamics and disruptive production, and a powerful voice on the future impact of technology.
#12. Eric Ries
Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and business visionary, applying lean business principles to the reinvention of Wall Street.
#13. Vijay Govindarajan
Leading expert on strategy and innovation, teaches how to facilitate and execute breakthrough ideas to generate growth.
#14. Richard Florida
Urbanist, champion of gentrification and the positive role of the “creative class” on city neighbourhood rejuvenation.
#15. Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur
The brains behind the world-renowned “business model canvas” – instrumental in helping new businesses put strategy into practice.
#16. Amy Edmondson
Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of succesful teaming.
#17. Jeffrey Pfeffer
Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is well known for his work on resource dependence theory,...
#18. Martin Lindstrom
International branding expert, who has led deep research into the minds of buyers, applying insights from neuroscience to develop the concept of “buyology”.
#19. Pankaj Ghemawat
Pankaj Ghemawat Strategy professor and renowned globalization expert, renowed for his robust analysis of global trends.
#20. Steve Blank
Serial entrepreneur, and creator of the customer development method that launched the renowned lean startup movement.
#21. Teresa Amabile
Teresa Amabile is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School, and also a director of research at the School. Her...
#22. Daniel Goleman
Author, psychologist, and science journalist, Daniel Goleman is best known as the champion of Emotional Intelligence. Among the most influential management thinkers in recent decades, Goleman previously wrote for The...
#23. Seth Godin
Marketing pioneer, unleashing the power of the consumer and the importance of building trust, connections, and positioning in the market place.
#24. Henry Chesbrough
Innovation thought leader who launched the “open innovation” paradigm; his research focuses on technology management and innovation strategy.
#25. Adam Grant
Specialist in organizational psychology, focusing on originality, motivation, non-conformity, generosity, meaningful work, and success.
#26. Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee
Launched into the thought leadership stratosphere in 2014 with The Second Machine Age, their work contiunes to provide a road-map for success in a digital economy.
#27. David Ulrich
Dave Ulrich, a professor at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, at the University of Michigan, has a prodigious output of HR, leadership, and organization related publications. These include...
#28. Jim Collins
Socratic advisor to leaders, focusing on what makes a business great and not just good; introduced five levels of leadership and the flywheel effect.
#29. Stew Friedman
“Total leadership” guru, award-winning teacher, and best-selling author who explores how good leadership goes hand in hand with a richer life.
#30. Gary Hamel
Bureaucracy buster, champion of management revolution, and advocate for innovation as the driver of wealth creation.
#31. Lynda Gratton
Psychologist, with a unique focus on organizational change, and the movement of business from a competitive to a more collaborative work space.
#32. Sylvia Ann Hewlett
An economist and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, a non-profit think-tank, Sylvia Ann Hewlett is the author or co-author of 11 books. Her most recent is Forget...
#33. Fons Trompenaars
The Dutchman Fons Trompenaars is the author of the award winning Riding the Waves of Culture, Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business (with Charles Hampden-Turner, 1994). The bestseller helped put issues...
#34. Morten Hansen
Author, professor, and management theorist, with award-winning work on social networks, collaboration, knowledge management, and corporate innovation.
#35. Tammy Erickson
Leading analyst of the changing workforce, with a focus on generational differences, and how organizations can engage the hearts and minds of their employees.
#36. Jennifer Aaker
A highly creative and innovative business professor, teaching courses ranging from happiness, humour, purpose, and empathy to augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
#37. John Kotter
John Kotter is a world-recognized expert on change management and leadership. He is the Konosuke Matsushita emeritus professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, and co-founder of consultancy Kotter International....
#38. Zhang Ruimin
World-renowned entrepreneur, creating a unique, innovative, evolving business model that fuses management philosophies of east and west.
#39. Subir Chowdhury
“The quality prophet”, and best-selling author on “six sigma” philosophy, with insightful research on how quality affects all levels of business function and public policy.
#40. Nirmalya Kumar
Nirmalya Kumar is the Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing at Singapore Management University & Distinguished Fellow, Emerging Markets Institute at INSEAD. He is also the author of Private Label...
#41. Sydney Finkelstein
Award-winning professor renowned for his research on leadership, strategy, and corporate governance and how to become a “superboss”.
#42. Julian Birkinshaw
Recognised expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, and renewal in large corporations; prolific author making unique contributions on work practices as competitive advantage.
#43. Liz Wiseman
Best-selling author, proponent of talent development through leadership, advocates the power of harnessing collective intelligence.
#44. Doug Ready
Doug Ready is the founder and CEO of the International Consortium for Executive Development Research and senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. His articles in the Harvard Business...
#45. Umair Haque
Umair Haque is a London-based consultant. He is director of Havas Media Lab, founder of Bubblegeneration and frequent tweeter and contributor to the online Harvard Business Review. Haque’s initial training...
#46. Hal Gregersen
Catalytic questioner and global innovator, exploring how asking the right questions builds leadership and innovation, and drives purposeful change.
#47. Anil Gupta
Anil K. Gupta is the Michael Dingman Chair in Strategy and Globalization at The University of Maryland at College Park. He is the author of several highly influential books including The...
#48. Nilofer Merchant
Prominent thought leader and strategist on the future of work in the social era, advocating for people in a technology-driven workspace.
#49. Whitney Johnson
Expert on the powers of disruption, and the ways to grasp the opportunities of change, starting with the personal.
#50. Amy Cuddy
Best-selling author, award-winning lecturer, and social psychology expert on the behavioural science of power, presence, and prejudice.
Thinkers50 2013 Ranking
#1. Clayton Christensen
The architect of disruptive innovation, twice topped the Thinkers50 rankings, in 2013 and 2011.
#2. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Inventors of the ground-breaking “blue ocean strategy”, paving the way for organizations to break out of fixed market boundaries and create a whole new space.
#3. Roger Martin
Prolific researcher providing valuable insights in strategy, governance, democratic capitalism, and social innovation.
#4. Don Tapscott
One of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society, pioneer in the advancement of the blockchain.
#5. Vijay Govindarajan
Leading expert on strategy and innovation, teaches how to facilitate and execute breakthrough ideas to generate growth.
#6. Rita McGrath
Globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship; champion of harnessing disruptive influences for competitive advantage.
#7. Michael Porter
The father of modern business strategy, and the most cited scholar today in economics and business.
#8. Linda Hill
Top expert on leadership and innovation, focused on global strategies, and how to harness creativity and engagement for strategic implementation.
#9. Herminia Ibarra
Distinguished authority on leadership and career development, advocating the importance of strategic networks, and the value of collaboration.
#10. Marshall Goldsmith
One of the world’s leading executive educators, coaches, and authors, who was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2018.
#11. Pankaj Ghemawat
Pankaj Ghemawat Strategy professor and renowned globalization expert, renowed for his robust analysis of global trends.
#12. Jim Collins
Socratic advisor to leaders, focusing on what makes a business great and not just good; introduced five levels of leadership and the flywheel effect.
#13. Daniel Pink
Recognized expert on the science of motivation, the science of timing, and the business zeitgeist; writes and creates at the intersection of work, psychology, and society.
#14. Lynda Gratton
Psychologist, with a unique focus on organizational change, and the movement of business from a competitive to a more collaborative work space.
#15. Amy Edmondson
Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of succesful teaming.
#16. Sylvia Ann Hewlett
An economist and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, a non-profit think-tank, Sylvia Ann Hewlett is the author or co-author of 11 books. Her most recent is Forget...
#17. Richard D’Aveni
Expert on competitive dynamics and disruptive production, and a powerful voice on the future impact of technology.
#18. Gary Hamel
Bureaucracy buster, champion of management revolution, and advocate for innovation as the driver of wealth creation.
#19. Nirmalya Kumar
Nirmalya Kumar is the Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing at Singapore Management University & Distinguished Fellow, Emerging Markets Institute at INSEAD. He is also the author of Private Label...
#20. Nitin Nohria
Nitin Nohria is the dean of Harvard Business School. Prolific and insightful, his books include Driven: How Human Nature Shapes our Choices (2001); The Arc of Ambition (with Jim Champy,...
#21. Teresa Amabile
Teresa Amabile is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School, and also a director of research at the School. Her...
#22. Richard Rumelt
Shortlisted for the 2013 Thinkers50 Strategy Award, Richard Rumelt is the Harry and Elsa Kunin Chair in Business and Society at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Rumelt has been described...
#23. Jeffrey Pfeffer
Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is well known for his work on resource dependence theory,...
#24. Richard Florida
Urbanist, champion of gentrification and the positive role of the “creative class” on city neighbourhood rejuvenation.
#25. A.G. Lafley
The chairman, president, and CEO of Procter & Gamble, Lafley led the company’s renaissance and then retired in 2010. At that point the former management consultant concentrated on thought leadership....
#26. Stew Friedman
“Total leadership” guru, award-winning teacher, and best-selling author who explores how good leadership goes hand in hand with a richer life.
#27. Morten Hansen
Author, professor, and management theorist, with award-winning work on social networks, collaboration, knowledge management, and corporate innovation.
#28. Tammy Erickson
Leading analyst of the changing workforce, with a focus on generational differences, and how organizations can engage the hearts and minds of their employees.
#29. David Ulrich
Dave Ulrich, a professor at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, at the University of Michigan, has a prodigious output of HR, leadership, and organization related publications. These include...
#30. Liu Chuanzhi
The Chairman of Legend Holdings Limited, and the Founder and Honorary Chairman of Lenovo Group Limited, Liu Chuanzhi started the business with a $24,000 loan from the Chinese government in...
#31. John Kotter
John Kotter is a world-recognized expert on change management and leadership. He is the Konosuke Matsushita emeritus professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, and co-founder of consultancy Kotter International....
#32. Chip Heath & Dan Heath
A brotherly thought leadership double act, Chip and Dan Heath are authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (2007); Switch: How to Change Things When...
#33. Sheryl Sandberg
Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead (2013) by Facebook COO Sandberg has re-ignited the debate about how women can best succeed in the workplace. Central to Sandberg’s...
#34. Umair Haque
Umair Haque is a London-based consultant. He is director of Havas Media Lab, founder of Bubblegeneration and frequent tweeter and contributor to the online Harvard Business Review. Haque’s initial training...
#35. Daniel Goleman
Author, psychologist, and science journalist, Daniel Goleman is best known as the champion of Emotional Intelligence. Among the most influential management thinkers in recent decades, Goleman previously wrote for The...
#36. Henry Chesbrough
Innovation thought leader who launched the “open innovation” paradigm; his research focuses on technology management and innovation strategy.
#37. Julian Birkinshaw
Recognised expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, and renewal in large corporations; prolific author making unique contributions on work practices as competitive advantage.
#38. Subir Chowdhury
“The quality prophet”, and best-selling author on “six sigma” philosophy, with insightful research on how quality affects all levels of business function and public policy.
#39. Fons Trompenaars
The Dutchman Fons Trompenaars is the author of the award winning Riding the Waves of Culture, Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business (with Charles Hampden-Turner, 1994). The bestseller helped put issues...
#40. Chris Zook
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#41. Sydney Finkelstein
Award-winning professor renowned for his research on leadership, strategy, and corporate governance and how to become a “superboss”.
#42. Anil Gupta
Anil K. Gupta is the Michael Dingman Chair in Strategy and Globalization at The University of Maryland at College Park. He is the author of several highly influential books including The...
#43. Andrew Kakabadse
Now based at Henley Business School in the UK, Andrew Kakabadse is one of the world’s leading experts on top teams, boardroom effectiveness and governance practice. His top team database...
#44. Rakesh Khurana
Rakesh Khurana, the Marvin Bower professor of leadership development at Harvard Business School, Khurana is probably best known for Searching for a Corporate Savior: The Irrational Quest for Charismatic CEOs...
#45. Celia De Anca
Professor of Global Diversity at Spain’s IE Business School, Celia de Anca’s work is in an intriguing sweet spot. It covers both emerging forms of finance – such as Islamic...
#46. Liz Wiseman
Best-selling author, proponent of talent development through leadership, advocates the power of harnessing collective intelligence.
#47. Doug Ready
Doug Ready is the founder and CEO of the International Consortium for Executive Development Research and senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. His articles in the Harvard Business...
#48. Wang Shi
A mountaineer who has scaled Everest as well as many of the world’s other great peaks, Wang Shi is founder and chairman of Vanke, the world’s largest residential home developer. ...
Thinkers50 2011 Ranking
#1. Clayton Christensen
The architect of disruptive innovation, twice topped the Thinkers50 rankings, in 2013 and 2011.
#2. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Inventors of the ground-breaking “blue ocean strategy”, paving the way for organizations to break out of fixed market boundaries and create a whole new space.
#3. Vijay Govindarajan
Leading expert on strategy and innovation, teaches how to facilitate and execute breakthrough ideas to generate growth.
#4. Jim Collins
Socratic advisor to leaders, focusing on what makes a business great and not just good; introduced five levels of leadership and the flywheel effect.
#5. Michael Porter
The father of modern business strategy, and the most cited scholar today in economics and business.
#6. Roger Martin
Prolific researcher providing valuable insights in strategy, governance, democratic capitalism, and social innovation.
#7. Marshall Goldsmith
One of the world’s leading executive educators, coaches, and authors, who was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2018.
#8. Don Tapscott
One of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society, pioneer in the advancement of the blockchain.
#9. Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell is an award winning staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. He is also the author of several best-selling books. In The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make...
#10. Sylvia Ann Hewlett
An economist and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, a non-profit think-tank, Sylvia Ann Hewlett is the author or co-author of 11 books. Her most recent is Forget...
#11. Nitin Nohria
Nitin Nohria is the dean of Harvard Business School. Prolific and insightful, his books include Driven: How Human Nature Shapes our Choices (2001); The Arc of Ambition (with Jim Champy,...
#12. Gary Hamel
Bureaucracy buster, champion of management revolution, and advocate for innovation as the driver of wealth creation.
#13. Linda Hill
Top expert on leadership and innovation, focused on global strategies, and how to harness creativity and engagement for strategic implementation.
#14. Seth Godin
Marketing pioneer, unleashing the power of the consumer and the importance of building trust, connections, and positioning in the market place.
#15. Teresa Amabile
Teresa Amabile is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School, and also a director of research at the School. Her...
#16. Rita McGrath
Globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship; champion of harnessing disruptive influences for competitive advantage.
#17. Richard Rumelt
Shortlisted for the 2013 Thinkers50 Strategy Award, Richard Rumelt is the Harry and Elsa Kunin Chair in Business and Society at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Rumelt has been described...
#18. Richard D’Aveni
Expert on competitive dynamics and disruptive production, and a powerful voice on the future impact of technology.
#19. Jeffrey Pfeffer
Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is well known for his work on resource dependence theory,...
#20. David Ulrich
Dave Ulrich, a professor at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, at the University of Michigan, has a prodigious output of HR, leadership, and organization related publications. These include...
#21. Tom Peters
Born in Baltimore in 1942 “with a lacrosse stick in one hand and oars over my shoulder,” Peters resided in California, mainly Silicon Valley [where he was on a list...
#22. Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of succesful teaming.
#23. Nirmalya Kumar
Nirmalya Kumar is the Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing at Singapore Management University & Distinguished Fellow, Emerging Markets Institute at INSEAD. He is also the author of Private Label...
#24. Pankaj Ghemawat
Pankaj Ghemawat Strategy professor and renowned globalization expert, renowed for his robust analysis of global trends.
#25. Herminia Ibarra
Distinguished authority on leadership and career development, advocating the importance of strategic networks, and the value of collaboration.
#26. Daniel Pink
Recognized expert on the science of motivation, the science of timing, and the business zeitgeist; writes and creates at the intersection of work, psychology, and society.
#27. Henry Mintzberg
Henry Mintzberg is Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies, at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University in Montreal. His work has focused on the work of the manager, and how...
#28. Costas Markides
Costas Markides is professor of strategic and international management and holds the Robert P. Bauman Chair of Strategic Leadership at the London Business School. A continual thread running through Markides’...
#29. Thomas Friedman
Triple Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman is best known for his work on globalization and as an op-ed columnist for the New York Times. Friedman sees globalization as an...
#30. Tammy Erickson
Leading analyst of the changing workforce, with a focus on generational differences, and how organizations can engage the hearts and minds of their employees.
#31. John Kotter
John Kotter is a world-recognized expert on change management and leadership. He is the Konosuke Matsushita emeritus professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, and co-founder of consultancy Kotter International....
#32. Amy Edmondson
Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of succesful teaming.
#33. Kjell Nordström & Jonas Ridderstråle
Jonas Ridderstråle, a visiting professor at IE Business School and Ashridge Business School, and economist and writer Kjell Nordström, first achieved fame as the authors of Funky Business – Talent...
#34. Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs professor of cognition and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and adjunct professor of psychology at Harvard University....
#35. Henry Chesbrough
Innovation thought leader who launched the “open innovation” paradigm; his research focuses on technology management and innovation strategy.
#36. Daniel Goleman
Author, psychologist, and science journalist, Daniel Goleman is best known as the champion of Emotional Intelligence. Among the most influential management thinkers in recent decades, Goleman previously wrote for The...
#37. Vineet Nayar
Vineet Nayar is the vice chairman and CEO of HCL Technologies, a global information technology services company based in India. Nayar’s success has been fuelled by his unconventional management philosophy...
#38. Rakesh Khurana
Rakesh Khurana, the Marvin Bower professor of leadership development at Harvard Business School, Khurana is probably best known for Searching for a Corporate Savior: The Irrational Quest for Charismatic CEOs...
#39. Fons Trompenaars
The Dutchman Fons Trompenaars is the author of the award winning Riding the Waves of Culture, Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business (with Charles Hampden-Turner, 1994). The bestseller helped put issues...
#40. Ken Robinson
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#41. Andrew Kakabadse
Now based at Henley Business School in the UK, Andrew Kakabadse is one of the world’s leading experts on top teams, boardroom effectiveness and governance practice. His top team database...
#42. Stew Friedman
“Total leadership” guru, award-winning teacher, and best-selling author who explores how good leadership goes hand in hand with a richer life.
#43. Adrian Slywotzky
Adrian Slywotzky is a consultant and author of several books on economic theory and management. He is best known for his work on profitability and growth, and for pioneering the...
#44. Stephen Covey
Stephen Covey is best known for his 1989 book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The modern equivalent of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, Covey’s...
#45. Umair Haque
Umair Haque is a London-based consultant. He is director of Havas Media Lab, founder of Bubblegeneration and frequent tweeter and contributor to the online Harvard Business Review. Haque’s initial training...
#46. Subir Chowdhury
“The quality prophet”, and best-selling author on “six sigma” philosophy, with insightful research on how quality affects all levels of business function and public policy.
Thinkers50 2009 Ranking
#1. CK Prahalad (1)
#2. Malcolm Gladwell (18)
#3. Paul Krugman (-)
#4. Steve Jobs (29)
#5. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne (6)
#6. Muhammad Yunus (-)
#7. Bill Gates (2)
#8. Richard Branson (9)
#9. Philip Kotler (11)
#10. Gary Hamel (5)
#11. Michael Porter (4)
#12. Ratan Tata (-)
#13. Ram Charan (22)
#14. Marshall Goldsmith (34)
#15. S. (Kris) Gopalakrishnan (-)
#16. Howard Gardner (39)
#17. Jim Collins (10)
#18. Lynda Gratton (19)
#19. Tom Peters (7)
#20. Jack Welch (8)
#21. Eric Schmidt (-)
#22. Joseph Stiglitz (-)
#23. Kjell Nordström & Jonas Ridderstråle (13)
#24. Vijay Govindarajan (23)
#25. Marcus Buckingham (38)
#26. Richard D’Aveni (46)
#27. Rosabeth Moss Kanter (28)
#28. Clayton Christensen (25)
#29. Stephen Covey (15)
#30. Thomas Friedman (26)
#31. David Ulrich (42)
#32. Roger Martin (-)
#33. Henry Mintzberg (16)
#34. Daniel Goleman (37)
#35. Chris Anderson (-)
#36. Warren Bennis (24)
#37. Robert Kaplan & David Norton (12)
#38. Jeff Immelt (31)
#39. Don Tapscott (-)
#40. Nassim Nicholas Taleb (-)
#41. John Kotter (30)
#42. Niall Ferguson (-)
#43. Charles Handy (14)
#44. Rakesh Khurana (45)
#45. Manfred Kets De Vries (-)
#46. Tammy Erickson (-)
#47. Costas Markides (44)
#48. Barbara Kellerman (-)
#49. Rob Goffee & Gareth Jones (32)
#50. Jimmy Wales (-)
Thinkers50 2007 Ranking
#1. CK Prahalad (3)
#2. Bill Gates (2)
#3. Alan Greenspan (35)
#4. Michael Porter (1)
#5. Gary Hamel (14)
#6. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne (15)
#7. Tom Peters (4)
#8. Jack Welch (5)
#9. Richard Branson (11)
#10. Jim Collins (6)
#11. Philip Kotler (7)
#12. Robert Kaplan & David Norton (22)
#13. Kjell Nordström & Jonas Ridderstråle (9)
#14. Charles Handy (10)
#15. Stephen Covey (18)
#16. Henry Mintzberg (8)
#17. Thomas A. Stewart (13)
#18. Malcolm Gladwell (31)
#19. Lynda Gratton (34)
#20. Donald Trump (-)
#21. Scott Adams (12)
#22. Ram Charan (24)
#23. Vijay Govindarajan (30)
#24. Warren Bennis (27)
#25. Clayton Christensen (21)
#26. Thomas Friedman (-)
#27. Kenichi Ohmae (16)
#28. Rosabeth Moss Kanter (19)
#29. Steve Jobs (-)
#30. John Kotter (-)
#31. Jeff Immelt (-)
#32. Rob Goffee & Gareth Jones (45)
#33. Adrian Slywotzky (-)
#34. Marshall Goldsmith (-)
#35. Bill George (-)
#36. Larry Bossidy (48)
#37. Daniel Goleman (42)
#38. Marcus Buckingham (-)
#39. Howard Gardner (-)
#40. Edward de Bono (20)
#41. Al Gore (-)
#42. David Ulrich (-)
#43. Seth Godin (-)
#44. Costas Markides (49)
#45. Rakesh Khurana (33)
#46. Richard D’Aveni (-)
#47. Peter Senge (23)
#48. Chris Argyris (28)
#49. Jeffrey Pfeffer (-)
#50. Chris Zook (-)
Thinkers50 2005 Ranking
#1. Michael Porter (2)
#2. Bill Gates (20)
#3. CK Prahalad (12)
#4. Tom Peters (3)
#5. Jack Welch (8)
#6. Jim Collins (10)
#7. Philip Kotler (6)
#8. Henry Mintzberg (7)
#9. Kjell Nordström & Jonas Ridderstråle (21)
#10. Charles Handy (5)
#11. Richard Branson (34)
#12. Scott Adams (27)
#13. Thomas A. Stewart (37)
#14. Gary Hamel (4)
#15. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne (31)
#16. Kenichi Ohmae (19)
#17. Patrick Dixon (46)
#18. Stephen Covey (16)
#19. Rosabeth Moss Kanter (9)
#20. Edward de Bono (35)
#21. Clayton Christensen (22)
#22. Robert Kaplan & David Norton (15)
#23. Peter Senge (14)
#24. Ram Charan (-)
#25. Fons Trompenaars (50)
#26. Russ Ackoff (-)
#27. Warren Bennis (13)
#28. Chris Argyris (18)
#29. Michael Dell (33)
#30. Vijay Govindarajan (-)
#31. Malcolm Gladwell (-)
#32. Manfred Kets De Vries (43)
#33. Rakesh Khurana (-)
#34. Lynda Gratton (41)
#35. Alan Greenspan (42)
#36. Edgar H Schein (17)
#37. Ricardo Semler (36)
#38. Don Peppers (48)
#39. Paul Krugman (40)
#40. Jeff Bezos (39)
#41. Andy Grove (26)
#42. Daniel Goleman (29)
#43. Leif Edvinsson (-)
#44. Jim Champy (25)
#45. Rob Goffee & Gareth Jones (-)
#46. Naomi Klein (30)
#47. Geert Hofstede (47)
#48. Larry Bossidy (-)
#49. Costas Markides (-)
#50. Geoffrey Moore (38)
Thinkers50 2003 Ranking
#1. Peter Drucker (1)
#2. Michael Porter (3)
#3. Tom Peters (5)
#4. Gary Hamel (4)
#5. Charles Handy (2)
#6. Philip Kotler (10)
#7. Henry Mintzberg (7)
#8. Jack Welch (6)
#9. Rosabeth Moss Kanter (14)
#10. Jim Collins (-)
#11. Sumantra Ghoshal (12)
#12. CK Prahalad (8)
#13. Warren Bennis (13)
#14. Peter Senge (11)
#15. Robert Kaplan & David Norton (15)
#16. Stephen Covey (18)
#17. Edgar H Schein (21)
#18. Chris Argyris (26)
#19. Kenichi Ohmae (22)
#20. Bill Gates (9)
#21. Kjell Nordström & Jonas Ridderstråle (17)
#22. Clayton Christensen (39)
#23. John Kotter (40)
#24. Nicholas Negroponte (16)
#25. Jim Champy (-)
#26. Andy Grove (24)
#27. Scott Adams (31)
#28. Richard Pascale (34)
#29. Daniel Goleman (-)
#30. Naomi Klein (-)
#31. W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne (-)
#32. Don Tapscott (32)
#33. Michael Dell (25)
#34. Richard Branson (29)
#35. Edward de Bono (33)
#36. Ricardo Semler (-)
#37. Thomas A. Stewart (46)
#38. Geoffrey Moore (41)
#39. Jeff Bezos (30)
#40. Paul Krugman (-)
#41. Lynda Gratton (-)
#42. Alan Greenspan (28)
#43. Manfred Kets De Vries (-)
#44. Robert Waterman (-)
#45. Watts Wacker (47)
#46. Patrick Dixon (-)
#47. Geert Hofstede (48)
#48. Don Peppers (-)
#49. Stan Davis (-)
#50. Fons Trompenaars (-)
Thinkers50 2001 Ranking
#1. Peter Drucker
#2. Charles Handy
#3. Michael Porter
#4. Gary Hamel
#5. Tom Peters
#6. Jack Welch
#7. Henry Mintzberg
#8. CK Prahalad
#9. Bill Gates
#10. Philip Kotler
#11. Peter Senge
#12. Sumantra Ghoshal
#13. Warren Bennis
#14. Rosabeth Moss Kanter
#15. Robert Kaplan & David Norton
#16. Nicholas Negroponte
#17. Kjell Nordström & Jonas Ridderstråle
#18. Stephen Covey
#19. Percy Barnevik
#20.Jerry Porras & James Collins
#21. Edgar H Schein
#22. Kenichi Ohmae
#23. James Champy & Michael Hammer
#24. Andy Grove
#25. Michael Dell
#26. Chris Argyris
#27. H Igor Ansoff
#28. Alan Greenspan
#29. Richard Branson
#30. Jeff Bezos
#31. Scott Adams
#32. Don Tapscott
#33. Edward de Bono
#34. Richard Pascale
#35. John Chambers
#36. Kevin Kelly
#37. John Harvey-Jones
#38. Lee Iacocca
#39. Clayton Christensen
#40. John Kotter
#41. Geoffrey Moore
#42. Herbert Simon
#43. Nelson Mandela
#44. Fons Trompenaars & Charles Hampden-Turner
#45. Chris Locke et al
#46. Thomas A. Stewart
#47. Watts Wacker
#48. Geert Hofstede
#49. Herb Kelleher
#50. Meg Whitman