Business leaders’ perseverance and passion pave the way for new opportunities and larger ventures
Businesses, like civilizations, rise and fall in tandem with the seasons. Similarly, some leaders reign for decades while others fade away in a matter of years. The path to success, however, is not easy for great leaders, nor are they born with a silver spoon and a large business inheritance.
Business leaders’ perseverance and passion pave the way for new opportunities and larger ventures. There are numerous characteristics that define a great business leader, such as the ability to encourage others and have a clear vision that others can believe. Long-term success can only be attained through exceptional leadership. The following are the most influential business leaders in the world today who you should be following in 2023
1. Tim Cook
Cook is the CEO of Apple, the world’s most valuable company. After the death of Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs, in 2011, he took over as CEO. Cook was instrumental in transforming Apple following Steve Jobs’ death, as well as developing new and innovative products and establishing Apple retail locations in China.
2. Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg has been the COO of Facebook since 2008. She founded the organization Lean In as a nod to the title of her best-selling book. Throughout her career, she was an outspoken supporter of women in the workplace. She has adjusted well since leaving the government and joining Google and Facebook.
3. Bob Iger
Iger is the Executive Chairman of the Disney Corporation and the company’s former CEO. During his tenure, Disney acquired Pixar, Marvel, and, most notably, Lucas Films. His leadership has also resulted in the expansion of Disney’s attractions into Hong Kong and Shanghai.
4. Reed Hastings
Hastings, the founder, and CEO of Netflix, is a well-known figure. What began as a subscription model with no late fees or due dates quickly evolved into streaming services, which shook the fundamental pillars of online entertainment to their core. Furthermore, Hastings uses his position of authority to advocate for reform at the California State Board of Education and through the establishment of charter schools.
5. Mary Barra
General Motors’ chief executive officer and chairman is Mary Barra. From 2014 to 2016, she was the company’s Executive Vice President of Worldwide Business Development, Procurement, and Supply Chain. She is now in the running for a job in the electric vehicle industry. She introduced the Chevrolet Bolt EV earlier this year, which has a battery that outperforms the Tesla Model 3. Barra was appointed to the Disney board of directors in 2017 due to Robert Iger’s strong admiration for her.
6. Huateng “Pony” Ma
Huateng Ma, also known as Pony Ma, founded and is the CEO of Tencent Inc. Tencent, the Chinese digital giant, is one of the world’s most valuable companies. On two occasions, he was one among the listed Time magazine’s world’s most influential people (2007 and 2014). Despite his secrecy, Ma wields considerable power both locally and internationally, particularly in the realm of international business.
7. Reshma Saujani
Saujani founded the non-profit Girls Who Code in 2011, with the goal of encouraging young women to pursue technical education (particularly coding). The American lawyer and activist has a long list of achievements to her name. Over 10,000 girls have attended camps organized by her company, Girls Who Code, which has 42 locations.
8. Jack Ma
Ma was the first mainland Chinese entrepreneur to appear on Forbes magazine’s front cover. Aside from that, he founded the Alibaba Group, a conglomerate of internet-related businesses. Three universities turned down Ma before being accepted by Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute. He applied for 30 different jobs after graduating but was turned down for each one.
9. Jan Koum
Koum moved to the United States at 16 from his native Ukraine, where he has remained ever since. He later realized he had a talent for programming and chose to attend San José State University. As a student at SJSU and a security tester at Yahoo, Koum founded WhatsApp in 2010. WhatsApp, an instant messaging app, quickly rose to become one of the most popular and widely used applications in the world, with over a billion users worldwide. Koum sold WhatsApp to Facebook for a reported 19.3 billion dollars in 2014.
10. Bill Gates
Gates founded Microsoft, the world’s largest personal computer software company, and he consistently ranks at the top of Forbes’ list of the world’s wealthiest people year after year.
