11 top business leaders and their main contributions

Business leaders are at the forefront of every successful company, and in every region of the planet: from small companies to economic giants as well as in any industry. 

Chances are that you also have the need to create your own business and want to learn from these important figures because from the outside, they are people who solve problems in no time and manage their teams like rockstars. 

Want to know how to be a better business leader? 

We’ve put together a list of the 11 most influential leaders of today, so maybe it’s time to find out what’s so special about these great figures in the world. 

But first… Why is a business leader so important?

Owning a business can be one of the most challenging things a person will ever face in their life. A business requires great focus and the ability to solve problems in all areas. 

That is why it’s essential that you become a business leader. In some countries they are known as CEO or chief executive officer and are in charge of running the day-to-day operations of the organization. 

So you will have to keep the spirit of the team united at all times and inspire others around the vision and mission of the company. Without them it’s difficult to achieve the established goals because you always need someone to lead the way and be the visible face in front of the media.

Top 11 business leaders today

It’s time! Find out who are the best CEOs at the moment so you can learn from the habits and details that have taken them to the top:

1. Brian Halligan

The software industry has been one of the winning ones after the arrival of the pandemic, something that Brian Halligan has taken advantage of to position his company. He is the CEO of HubSpot, an organization focused on the commercialization of sales and marketing programs.

Brian is also a professor at MIT where he seeks to impart his knowledge to upcoming business leaders. Now, what you can take into account is that he has been voted as one of the best managers by specialized magazines between 2014 and 2018.

He has made several donations to causes related to social justice and music. All of this you can value to implement in your environment.

2. Eric Yuan

We could not continue the list without naming Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom. Surely you have used this platform at some point, especially after the pandemic, and Eric has been behind this great growth.

He is the majority shareholder, holding up to 22% of all shares. Since March 2020 his fortune reached up to 5.5 billion dollars because the company’s shares rose by 140% since that time.

3. Sundar Pichai

Sundar is behind none other than Google, one of the most media-driven companies in the world. He comes from Kharagpur and took on the challenge of leading this corporate monster.

He has been associated with the company since 2004 and has been involved in the development of Chrome, OS and Google Drive, the cloud that changed the way you store your files. 

4. Shantanu Narayen

Narayen is the CEO of Adobe and has been in its ranks since 1997, passing through almost the entire hierarchical scale of the company. Do you know what the secret to his success is? Well, before landing at Adobe he was product manager at Apple, bringing its innovation to the new company.

His influence is such that in 2011 Obama made him part of the President’s Management Board. Surely you can take this into account for your company.

5. Ryan Smith

Ryan Smith is another business leader who has stood out in recent years. He is the founder and president of Qualtrics, a leading corporation in the experience market.

Although he is responsible for many things, he is mostly in charge of sales, marketing and partnerships with various organizations around the world. Focus and dedication is something you could put into practice and he does it all the time. 

6. Diane Hendricks

Diane is an example of all that can be accomplished by a woman who challenges herself. She grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and was the eighth of nine sisters, so as you will understand money was not something to spare.

So she decided to create her own path and founded ABC Supply, one of the largest window covering and roofing distribution companies in the United States.

Diane has had to go through many challenges such as the death of her husband in 2007. Despite this, she continued to grow and acquired several of her competitors, which allowed her to earn up to $12 billion in 2020 alone. 

7. Patrick Pacious 

Patrick por su parte es el máximo representante de Choice Hotels International, una Patrick on the other hand is the top representative of Choice Hotels International, an accommodation company with locations in dozens of countries around the world.

Patrick has been with the organization for 15 years, during which time he has launched new brands that have rejuvenated the company in the marketplace. He has also bought companies, which has helped to better compete in the market.

Inclusive culture and innovation are some of the mottos Pacious has carried out in the company. It is time for you to put them into practice as well.

8. Judy Love

Still think you need a super innovative idea to succeed in business? Well, look at what happened to Judy Love, who made part of her fortune in the retail and service station business with Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores in partnership with her husband.

It all started when in 1964 she set up a small gas station in Oklahoma thanks to a small loan she borrowed from her in-laws. Her company grew to a nationwide network that serves thousands of truckers every month.

Do you know how many stores they have today? 550, and all based on hard work, leadership and management.

In the year of the pandemic she opened 20 new branches and in the first half of this year they already have that number. She is the perfect example of how it doesn’t matter where you come from, but what your desire to achieve your dreams is… and to know how to create strategic alliances with people you trust. Never forget that!

9. Marina Granovskaia

We could not continue the list without Marina Granovskaia. She is a woman who has been in the management of one of the biggest soccer teams in the world, Chelsea.

She held nothing more and nothing less than the position of General Manager, something that at the time was a boom due to the fact that the sports world is usually run by men.

In the offices it was said that no one made a decision without telling her, and some of the club’s best transactions went through her. She negotiated sponsorships, the arrival of new players, the expansion of the institution and much more.

With her work, she balanced the institution’s expenses and income, which is very difficult nowadays. All this led her to obtain the nickname: “The Iron Lady”, which suits her so well.

10. Anette Brüls 

In our list of the best business leaders we find a woman who is changing the world. She is the CEO of Medela, a company that is part of the medical technology industry.

Anette has experience in other Fortune 500 companies, so she’s using that expertise to create innovative products that will help Medela become No. 1 in the market. 

Start integrating women into your team and you will notice the difference. 

11. Marta Ruíz 

We are talking about a woman who has transcended not only in her home country but also abroad. She is currently CEO of Grupo Iberia and is an example of perseverance due to the fact that she has been with the organization for more than 20 years.

It has always been her talent that has spoken for her, to the point that she has held management positions in both the United States and Spain. She has had up to 1,100 employees under her and was recognized AdLatina in 2016.

Another story that you should always have in your mind if you want to succeed.

With this list you can already draw conclusions about what it takes to be a business leader.

Now it’s time for you to apply it in your organization. If you need help, read our content, you will surely find some of the answers you need.

Have you set a New Year’s resolution to become a better leader? There’s still time to take up those resolutions you wrote down at the beginning of the year. 

Let us know who can be the next to join this list of the 11 most outstanding leaders of the moment.