- Jan 9
- 22 min read

THE WORLD'S TOP 100 INNOVATION LEADERS OF 2022 - WORLD BIZ MAGAZINE AWARDS

Top 100 Innovation Leaders of 2022

Now in the fifth year, the annual World Biz Magazine Leadership Awards celebrates business leaders across the globe that are making major strides in their industries.

The WBM Top 100 Innovation Leaders Awards recognizes product, service, functional, strategic, and managerial innovation in companies. The Awards also recognizes individuals showing exceptional commercial insight and market integrity. Sustainability forms a key cornerstone of the Awards and is an integral part of our selection criteria.

This year there were over 40,000 leaders shortlisted for the Awards. There are only 100 CEOs across the world selected to receive this distinction. Winners were selected regardless of the size of company they lead, the most important determining factor being their role in driving innovation within their industry.

Only 0.25% of the shortlisted leaders have been selected by our researchers and independent judges for this recognition. We are honored to share this showcase of our deserving Award Winners with you.

Dr. Severin Schwan, Chief Executive Officer of Roche Group is at 1st place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Dr. Severin Schwan

Chief Executive Officer

Roche Group

Dr. Severin Schwan has been the Chief Executive Officer of Roche Group since 2008. He earned his degree in Economics at the University of Innsbruck, University of York and University of Oxford, Mag. rer.soc.oec. (Innsbruck, 1991). He also studied Law at the University of Innsbruck, Mag. iur. (Innsbruck, 1991). He earned his Doctorate in Law at the University of Innsbruck, Research studies at University Louvain, Belgium, Dr. iur. (Innsbruck, 1993).

Dr. Schwan is a member of the Board of Directors of Roche Holding Ltd. He is also a member of the Board of Directors (since 2017 Vice Chairman) of Credit Suisse Group AG. He is a member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai (IBLAC), since 2022 he has been the Vice Chairman.

Throughout its 125-year history, Roche has grown into one of the world’s largest biotech companies, as well as a leading provider of in-vitro diagnostics and a global supplier of transformative innovative solutions across major disease areas. Its commitment to its people, partners, stakeholders and, most importantly, its patients remains as strong as it was on the first day of the company's journey.

For more information about Roche, visit: roche.com

Dr. Lisa T. Su, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of AMD is at 2nd place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Dr. Lisa T. Su

Chair and Chief Executive Officer

AMD

Dr. Lisa T. Su is chair and chief executive officer of AMD. Prior to serving as president and CEO, she was chief operating officer responsible for integrating AMD’s business units, sales, global operations and infrastructure enablement teams into a single market-facing organization responsible for all aspects of product strategy and execution. Dr. Su joined AMD in January 2012 as senior vice president and general manager, global business units and was responsible for driving end-to-end business execution of AMD products and solutions.

Prior to joining AMD, Dr. Su served as senior vice president and general manager, Networking and Multimedia at Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (a semiconductor manufacturing company) and was responsible for global strategy, marketing and engineering for the company’s embedded communications and applications processor business. Dr. Su joined Freescale in 2007 as chief technology officer, where she led the company’s technology roadmap and research and development efforts.

Dr. Su spent the previous 13 years at IBM in various engineering and business leadership positions, including vice president of the Semiconductor Research and Development Center responsible for the strategic direction of IBM’s silicon technologies, joint development alliances and semiconductor R&D operations. Prior to IBM, she was a member of the technical staff at Texas Instruments Inc. in the Semiconductor Process and Device Center from 1994 to 1995.

Dr. Su has bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has published more than 40 technical articles and was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers in 2009. In 2018, Dr. Su was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and received the Global Semiconductor Association’s Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award. In 2020, Fortune named Dr. Su #2 on its “Business Person of the Year” list, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Science, and received the Grace Hopper Technical Leadership Abie Award. In 2021, she was recognized by the IEEE with its highest semiconductor honor, the Robert N. Noyce Medal and was appointed by President Biden to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. She has been a member of the board of directors of Cisco Systems, Inc., since January 2020 and also serves on the board of directors for the Semiconductor Industry Association.

For more information about AMD, visit: amd.com

Dr. C. C. Wei, Chief Executive Officer of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is at 3rd place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Dr. C. C. Wei

Chief Executive Officer

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company

Dr. C. C. Wei is Chief Executive Officer of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC). Prior to this appointment, Dr. Wei was TSMC's President and Co-CEO from November 2013 to June 2018 and Co-Chief Operating Officer from March 2012 to November 2013. From 2009 to 2012, he was TSMC's Senior Vice President of Business Development. Before that, Dr. Wei was Senior Vice President of Mainstream Technology Business.

Before joining TSMC in 1998, Dr. Wei had served as Senior Vice President of Technology at Chartered Semiconductor and Senior Manager, Logic and SRAM technology development at ST Microelectronics. Prior to that, he was a Member of Technical Staff at Texas Instruments R&D organization.

C. C. Wei received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from National Chiao Tung University and Ph.D. from Yale University.

For more information about Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, visit: tsmc.com

Ellen J. Kullman, Executive Chair of Carbon, Inc. is at 4th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Ellen J. Kullman

Executive Chair

Carbon, Inc.

Ellen is the Executive Chair of Carbon, previously serving as President & CEO. Prior to joining Carbon, Ellen was Chairman and CEO of DuPont. She was the nineteenth executive, and the first woman to lead the company in its 212-year history. As a business leader, Ellen led double-digit growth of the company’s Safety and Protection business portfolio, started two successful high-growth businesses known today as DuPont Industrial Biosciences and DuPont Sustainable Solutions. During her seven years as CEO, Ellen led the company’s focus on growth in emerging international markets and championed the power of DuPont science and global market knowledge to transform industries. She decisively positioned the company for its next generation of growth, executing a strong plan that is delivering results today while positioning DuPont for future growth.

Ellen is co-chair of the Paradigm for Parity coalition and a board director of Dell Technologies, Amgen, and Goldman Sachs. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and past president of the U.S. China Business Council. She serves on the board of trustees of Northwestern University. Ellen has been named as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” by Fortune and one of the “World’s Most Powerful Women” by Forbes. Ellen holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University.

For more information about Carbon, visit: carbon3d.com

Gail Boudreaux, President and Chief Executive Officer of Elevance Health is at 5th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Gail K. Boudreaux

President and Chief Executive Officer

Elevance Health

Gail Boudreaux serves as president and chief executive officer at Elevance Health, where she leads the company in improving lives and communities, simplifying healthcare, and building trust with customers. Regarded for her ability to skillfully scale multi-billion-dollar businesses, Boudreaux leverages her more than three decades of healthcare industry experience to helm one of America’s largest health companies.

Fueled by our bold purpose to improve the health of humanity, Elevance Health is transforming from a traditional health benefits organization into a lifetime trusted health partner.  

Our nearly 100,000 associates serve more than 118 million people, at every stage of health. We address a full range of needs with an integrated whole health approach, powered by industry-leading capabilities and a digital platform for health. 

For more information about Elevance Health, visit: elevancehealth.com

Lee Yuan Siong, Group Chief Executive and President of AIA Group is at 6th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Lee Yuan Siong

Executive Director and Group Chief Executive and President

AIA Group

Mr. Lee, aged 56, is an Executive Director and the Group Chief Executive and President of the Company, having been appointed on 1 June 2020. Mr. Lee is also a member of the Risk Committee of the Company. He joined the Group in March 2020 and has more than 30 years' experience in the insurance sector. He is a director of various companies within the Group including acting as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AIA Company Limited.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Lee was an executive director of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. from June 2013 and served as the company’s co-CEO and Chief Insurance Business Officer. Before joining Ping An, Mr. Lee held a number of senior leadership positions with Prudential plc of the United Kingdom, including President of CITIC-Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited, a life insurance joint venture in Mainland China. He also has significant experience across a number of Asian markets including Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Taiwan (China), Thailand and Vietnam.

Mr. Lee began his career at the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He has been a Director and appointed as Vice Chairman of The Geneva Association since November 2021. He has also been a member of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance since 2020. He holds a Master of Philosophy (Finance) degree from the University of Cambridge and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (US).

For more information about AIA Group, visit: aia.com

Rosalind Brewer, Chief Executive Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. is at 7th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Rosalind Brewer

Chief Executive Officer

Walgreens Boots Alliance

Rosalind (Roz) Brewer joined Walgreens Boots Alliance as Chief Executive Officer in March 2021. She also is a Director on WBA’s Board. Ms. Brewer most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and Group President at Starbucks from October 2017 to January 2021. Prior to Starbucks, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sam’s Club, a membership-only retail warehouse club and division of Walmart, Inc., from February 2012 to February 2017. Ms. Brewer previously held several executive leadership positions with Walmart beginning in 2006.

Prior to joining Walmart, she served as President of Global Nonwovens Division for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, a global health and hygiene products company, from 2004 to 2006, and held various management positions at Kimberly-Clark beginning in 1984.

She currently serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for Spelman College, where she did her undergraduate work. Ms. Brewer also is a Board Member of VillageMD, World Business Chicago, Business Roundtable and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture. Ms. Brewer formerly served on the Board of Directors for Starbucks, Amazon, Lockheed Martin Corporation and Molson Coors Brewing Company. She is currently ranked #6 on Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and was named one of the 25 most influential women by the Financial Times in 2021.

For more information about Walgreens Boots Alliance, visit: walgreensbootsalliance.com

Sanjiv Lamba, Chief Executive Officer of Linde is at 8th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Sanjiv Lamba

Chief Executive Officer

Linde

Sanjiv Lamba is the Chief Executive Officer for Linde plc, in March 2022 he also joined the Board of Directors. Prior to being appointed CEO, Lamba was Chief Operating Officer after serving as Executive Vice President, APAC.

Lamba started his career in 1989 with BOC India in Finance, was appointed Director of Finance and subsequently Managing Director for the India business in 2001. He has worked in a number of geographies for Linde including India, UK, Singapore and Germany where he served as member of the Executive Board of Linde AG.

Lamba is a Chartered Accountant (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Honours) from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta University, India.

For more information about Linde, visit: linde.com

Diane Wang, Founder, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of DHgate.com is at 9th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

Diane Wang

Founder, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer

DHgate.com

Diane Wang, an original internet pioneer with over 20 years of experience running online businesses, has thrived through every phase of the digital revolution. Before founding DHgate, Ms. Wang co-founded and served as CEO of Joyo.com, which at the time was the largest B2C (Business-to-Consumer) online marketplace in China and eventually became Amazon China. Prior to Joyo.com, she held positions as an executive for Microsoft and Cisco.

Ms. Wang is also an active civil servant, she was appointed to serve on the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in recognition of her expertise and status as a leading advocate for the development of SMEs (Small-Medium-Enterprises) worldwide. Ms. Wang is the co-chair of the ABAC SME Working Group and Co-Chair of the APEC Women Leadership Forum. Ms. Wang is the first Rotating Chairperson of the Entrepreneurs Committee of the China SME Alliance. Ms. Wang also serves as the Chinese Representative to the G20 Business Summit (B20).

For more information about DHgate, visit: dhgate.com

Charles Brown, President and CEO of LifeLabs Medical Laboratory is at 10th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

#10

Charles Brown

President and Chief Executive Officer

LifeLabs Medical Laboratory

Charles Brown is President and CEO of LifeLabs Medical Laboratory, a leading Canadian-owned company that has been serving the healthcare needs of Canadians for more than 50 years. Each year LifeLabs performs approximately 120 million laboratory tests to help diagnose, treat, monitor and prevent diseases for millions of Canadians.

Charles is committed to the optimization of service delivery to provide better outcomes for customers, patients, medical professionals and the broader healthcare system. Since joining LifeLabs in 2018, he has worked to evolve LifeLabs into a commercially driven organization that brings customer-centred value to market. By showcasing the possibility of delivering value-based outcomes, Charles empowers his employees to make a difference and facilitate innovative change. During COVID-19, Charles’ leadership empowered the team to quickly pivot and adapt to respond to the pandemic by providing essential COVID-19 testing, while maintaining full operation of lab testing and diagnostic work.

Charles was named one of the Top 25 Biotechnology CEOs by the Healthcare Technology Report in 2021 and 2022. Charles was also nominated in 2022 by an external research team to receive the prestigious ‘Top Industry Leader’ award from Life Sciences Voice, being recognized amongst a list of distinguished leaders from BioPharma, BioTech, and related sectors.

For more information about LifeLabs Medical Laboratory, visit: lifelabs.com

Sasan Goodarzi, Chief Executive Officer of Intuit is at 11th place on the 2022 list of Top 100 Innovation Leaders.

#11

Sasan Goodarzi

Chief Executive Officer

Intuit

Sasan Goodarzi is chief executive officer (CEO) of Intuit, where he leads the company towards delivering on its mission of powering prosperity around the world.

He assumed the role on Jan. 1, 2019. During his 14 years with the company, Goodarzi has successfully led each of Intuit’s largest businesses. Most recently, Goodarzi served as executive vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Small Business and Self-Employed Group. Previously, he served as executive vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Consumer Tax Group, as Intuit’s chief information officer, as the general manager of Intuit’s ProTax organization, and as the general manager of Intuit’s Financial Services Division.

Before coming to Intuit, Goodarzi worked for Invensys, a global provider of industrial automation, transportation and controls technology, serving as global president of the products group. He also held a number of senior leadership roles in the automation control division at Honeywell and served as the CEO and co-founder of a technology startup, Lazer Cables Inc.

Born in Tehran, Iran, Goodarzi came to the United States as a child and grew up in Orlando, Florida. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Central Florida and a master’s in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Goodarzi is also a member of the board of directors at Intuit and Atlassian.

For more information about Intuit, visit: intuit.com