Fortune's 50 greatest leaders of 2015

[wonsur park]

Fortune's 50 greatest leaders of 2015

Fortune has come up with its 2015 list of the world’s greatest leaders.

So who has made the prestigious cut and who missed out?

 Click through the gallery to find out. Click here for the complete list.

 

50. Akira Miyawaki, Director,

Japanese Center for International Studies in Ecology

The 87-year-old has promoted the benefits of native forests

 and has planted 40 million trees in 15 countries,

 including new woodlands in his native Japan.

These trees have acted as better shields against a tsunami

 than concrete barriers. (Picture used for representational purpose)

 

49. John Mackey, Co-CEO, Co-Founder, Whole Foods Market

The Austin-based retailer has tapped into consumer the demand for natural

and organic food products, induced a change in the way people eat

and this revolution has affected everything from farming to labelling.

 

48. Richard Liu, Founder and CEO, JD.com

He is the down-to-earth CEO of a e-commerce giant,

whose team of 20,000 people ensures same-day delivery in 130 districts

and counties across China. Despite being the CEO,

 he spends a day every year working as a JD.com delivery boy.

 

47. Adam Silver, Commissioner, NBA

The NBA commissioner has talked about shortening the preseason to ease

 pressure on players

and tweaking the playoff structure to improve competitiveness.

 He has even endorsed a form of legalised betting,

which could pay off for the league.

 

46. Daniel Barenboim, General Music Director, Berlin State Opera

He holds both Israeli and Palestinian citizenship. Isn’t that unique?

The Argentina-born pianist has been putting in credible effort for peace

 in the Middle East region through bringing together

Arab and Israeli musicians.

45. Jimmy Fallon, Host, The Tonight Show

He has got four million viewers and that, too,

during the days of celebrity smackdowns.

 He has credible following on Youtube as well,

where he is followed by 6.7 million people.

 

44. Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber

Uber has transformed the urban transportation scenario

and the credit goes to the CEO.

 Though there has been issues of passenger safety and privacy concerns,

 it has not deterred him from expanding Uber's presence to 250 cities

 from 60 within the last one year.

 

43. Courtney Banghart, Head Coach,

 Princeton Tigers Women's Basketball Team

She took charge of a mediocre team that had never made it

to the NCAA tournament;

 she has coached the Tigers to five Ivy League championships since.

 Holder of a master’s degree in leadership development,

 she expects more of her players than great play though.

 She wants them to maintain an exceptional academic record as well.

 

42. Richard Pazdur, Director, FDA's Office of Hematology

 and Oncology Products

He has been praised by one and all for his efforts toward the betterment

 of cancer drugs.

 According to Len Lichtenfeld of the American Cancer Society,

“the FDA has been more responsive to the needs of cancer patient

 under Pazdur’s leadership.”

 

41. Mitch Daniels, President, Purdue University, Indiana, USA

The Purdue University president, who has a former

White House budget director,

has frozen tuition and struck a deal with Amazon to save students up

to 30% on textbooks.

40. Patrick Awuah, Founder and President, Ashesi University College, Ghana

He made millions at Microsoft before moving back to his home country Ghana to open a tech-focussed university in the sub-Saharan nation in 2002

 (Picture used for representational purpose)

 

39. Anthony Fauci, Director, NIAID (NIH)

He is America’s doctor who has contributed in making lives of those living

with HIV/AIDS better.

 When Ebola struck, the nation once again looked up to him

and he did not disappoint.

 

38. Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase

Arguably the first person to make the big-bank profit model work,

 he has made JPMorgan Chase the most important bank in the world.

 

37. Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO,

  Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute

She rose to fame as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for

 transforming the Girl Scouts.

 Even today, in her late 90s,

she continues to train a new generation of leaders

through her eponymous institute.

36. Carolyn Miles, President and CEO, Save the Children

Her efforts are improving the lives of thousands of children worldwide.

 Taking over as the CEO in 2011,

she has helped double the number of children

the organisation reaches while working under

  some of the worst conditions imaginable.

 

35. Admiral William McRaven (Retired), Chancellor,

University of Texas at Austin, USA

This former Navy SEAL oversaw the 2011 Special Ops raid that killed

Osama Bin Laden.

 But his role as the chancellor of the University of Texas

 in Austin is what has earned him accolades,

with him helping repair its reputation following an admissions scandal.

 

34. Raj Panjabi, CEO, Last Mile Health

His early days were spent in Liberia.

He fled a civil war only to return later with vigour

 and medical degree to train villagers

 in remote areas to become healthcare workers.

When Ebola struck, his 1,300-strong team helped keep the virus at bay

 in many parts of Liberia.
(Picture used for representational purpose)

 

33. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Finance Minister, Nigeria

A Harvard grad, who also holds a Ph.D. from MIT,

  is the first woman finance minister of Nigeria.

 She contributed toward trebling the African nation's faltering GDP

and many tout her to head the World Bank someday.

 

32. Mark Bertolini, CEO, Aetna

In January, he informed Aetna employees that the company would boost its

 own minimum wage to US $16 (as much as a 33% increase for

some workers) in April and substantially upgrade health benefits for those

  at the bottom rungs of the company,

 calling it an “infrastructure investment."

The move seems to have gone down well with investors,

as the company's stock has witnessed a steady rise

since the announcement.

 

31. Lebron James, Forward, Cleveland Cavaliers

With two NBA titles, James didn’t need to return to Cleveland

— where it all began for him. But he said

 he wanted to bring a group together and help them

“reach a place they didn’t know they could go.

" In the meantime, he has also been elected the new vice president

of the NBA Players Association.

 

30. Bayan Mahmoud Al-Zahran, Lawyer, Saudi Arabia

She comes from a land where talks about women rights

are frowned upon by many.

She practices law in Saudi Arabia, and last year,

she opened the kingdom’s first-ever all-woman law firm.

Though her firm will represent both men and women,

one of its stated goals is to argue cases on behalf of Saudi women in court.

(Picture used for representational purpose)

 

29. Lei Jun, Founder and CEO, Xiaomi

Within a span of four years,

 his efforts have led to a point where Beijing-based Xiaomi

 is valued at US $45 billion. His unique approaches,

which include strategies like selling only online,

 has definitely worked in a cut-throat smartphone market.

 

28. Kailash Satyarthi, Founder, Bachpan Bachao Andolan

When he received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Malala Yusufzai,

 it was a victory of thousands of children whose rights

 he has been safeguarding for over three decades now

 His global struggle against child labour hardly has a match

anywhere in recent history. 

 

27. Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com

He scripted one of Internet’s most powerful success stories

with Amazon.com.

 Having already won a Golden Globe Award for the television series,

 Transparent,

 the versatile entrepreneur's Amazon Studios is now planning to

wade into movies as well.

 

26. Yao Ming, Animal Rights Activist and Former NBA Star

At 7 foot 6 inches, he was destined to be a basketball player.

 He became an NBA star, but once retired, he turned toward animal rights.

 Since then, the Chinese hero has inspired many to talk about

 illegal animal part trades and cruelty to animals in China.

 

25. Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO, Facebook

He showed signs of extraordinary brilliance from an early age.

 Focussed on the long-term future of Facebook, Zuckerberg,

 at 30, is one of the world’s youngest billionaires.

 

24. Tri Rismaharini, Mayor, Surabaya, Indonesia

She was elected Surabaya’s mayor in 2010

and has proved her mettle by transforming the city of 2.7 million people

 into a new kind of Indonesian metropolis which celebrates green space

and environmental sustainability.

 Once struggling with pollution and congestion,

Surabaya now has 11 richly-landscaped parks and other green spaces.

 

23. Elon Musk, Co-Founder and CEO, Tesla Motors and SpaceX)

The co-founder of SpaceX, Tesla Motors, Paypal and a partner in SolarCity,

this versatile entrepreneur is a role model for all budding entrepreneurs.

 

22. Beatrice Mtetwa, Lawyer, Human Rights Activist, Zimbabwe

She has been called the bravest lawyer of Africa and rightly so.

 She was even recognized as one of the 10 international women of courage

 in 2014 by the US State Department.

She has seen it all—beatings, arrests, threats—yet,

she continues to fight for the rule of law.

 

21. Helena Morrissey, CEO, Newton Investment Management

This mother of nine children also heads a London firm managing

US $55 billion in assets.

 She leads the 30% Club, a campaign to make public

-company boards in the UK 30% female.

 She’s now bringing her quest to the US,

where board diversity has a long way to go.

 

20. Mike Duggan and Kevyn Orr,

Mayor and Former Emergency Manager, Detroit

The USA’s largest-ever municipal bankruptcy could have been a disaster.

 But Orr led a financial overhaul.

 In his first year in office, Duggan installed over 20,000 new streetlights,

 shortening emergency response times and balancing the city budget

for the first time in over a decade.

19. Pete Frates, Advocate, ALS "Ice Bucket Challenge"

Remember the ALS "Ice Bucket Challenge"?

 It was Frates' brainchild.

 After having lost almost all physical movement and his voice to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,

 his persistence in telling the world about his battle

with the neurodegenerative disease sparked the Ice Bucket Challenge

—a fundraising campaign, bringing in US $115 million for

the ALS Association to date. 

 

18. Bill and Melinda Gates, Founders, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Their philanthropic mission is now 15 years old

and the way they have worked toward eradicating preventable diseases

 in developing countries,

 goes to show why their works have been far-reaching

and more impactful than government programmes.

 

17. Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO, Starbucks

He does not shy away from touching those topics

 which are considered controversial by many.

 His decision to encourage conversations about race at Starbucks stores

was a gutsy one and has proved that big businesses

and social causes need not be mutually exclusive.

16. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President, Liberia

She was criticised for being slow to react on Ebola,

but the first woman head of state of any African country

 soon got her acts together and helped Liberia overcome the epidemic.

A recipient of 2011 Nobel Peace Prize,

she is doing everything within her reach to take the country forward.

 

15. Mark Carney, Governor, Bank of England

With the same role in Canada, he kept the country's economy

on track while others shrunk.

 Now in the UK, he has been credited for reviving the economy

and the IMF predicts that the UK will grow at a far better rate than

any other European country in coming days.

 

14. Ai-Jen Poo, Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

She has become the foremost advocate for living wages

and healthcare benefits for the often-ignored and underpaid nannies

 housekeepers and other at-home caregivers all over the USA.

 Her efforts have started showing results as four states have

already passed a Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights since 2010.

 

13. James Comey, Director, FBI

His decision to go public and address the concerns regarding

 police shootings of unarmed black men

 earned him accolades and definitely improved the public image of

 the investigation agency.

 

12. Jeremy Farrar, Director, Wellcome Trust

Under his able guidance, the research on Ebola virus has doubled

and there has been significant growth in clinical trials for potential treatment.

 

11. DeRay McKesson and Johnetta Elzie, Prominent Voices

for Non-violent Protest, Ferguson, Missouri

Their activism was termed anti-cop and anarchist, but being in the list

just establishes the fact that theirs have been a scene-changing protest.

When McKesson traveled from Minnesota to become a full-time

 activist in Ferguson

and created the Ferguson Protester Newsletter,

after being joined by Elzie who put her college degree on hold,

 he won’t have thought of coming this far.

 

10. Joshua Wong, Activist, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Movement

This 18-year-old has led the fight for democracy in Hong Kong.

 His non-violent approach, which led to ‘Umbrella Revolution’

 in 2014, may just be age-defining.

 

9. Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors

She is the picture of a strong woman.

 Her efforts at General Motors have been duly recognised

and she is leaving no stone unturned to transform

the automaker’s rigid future.

 

8. John Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice, USA Supreme Court

He has entered the 10th year with this role.

 A lot of policy decisions of the Barack Obama government will depend on

how he influences the decision-making.

 

7. Joanne Liu, International President, Medecins Sans Frontieres

Her fight against Ebola,

one of the most deadly epidemics of the recent times,

 proved why she is the lady with steely nerves.

She led Medecins Sans Frontieres' fast

and aggressive response to the virus,

which definitely helped contain the contagion.

 

6. Taylor Swift, Singer

She is the queen of music industry, pocketing more than anyone else

 of her era.

 She has lived life on her own terms

and showed how artists can continue to rule in the age of free streaming.

 

5. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, India

He has become one of the most popular leaders

in the second most-populous country in the world.

 Known for his great oratory skills, he was appointed as Prime Minister when he steered his party score a thumping victory in the 2014 general elections.

 

4. Pope Francis, Pontiff, Catholic Church

Since becoming the pope in 2013, he has been introducing

changes in the management.

 His idea of charity and modesty begins at home—

 he chose to live in a one-bedroom apartment in the Vatican guesthouse

 instead of the traditional suite in the Apostolic Palace.

 

3. Xi Jinping, President, People's Republic of China

His fight against massive corruption has been inspirational.

He’s also behind China’s robust nationalistic message directed

 at world powers.

 His reforms have kept the Chinese economy on track

and China watchers in the West consider this the most interesting

 time in the country in decades.

 

2. Mario Draghi, President, European Central Bank

He has one of the toughest and most significant jobs in the world:

growth and stability in the Eurozone,

and more broadly, in the European Union.

 He has used his experience in both government

and business with precision to hold the Eurozone together.

 

1. Tim Cook, CEO, Apple

He had a task of replacing the best and he did not falter at all.

 The Apple CEO, following the death of the legendary Steve Jobs,

 has led the organisation strongly

 and its appetite for innovation has grown significantly over the years.

For the complete list, click here.