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Now in the fourth year, the annual World Biz Magazine CEO Awards celebrates business leaders across the globe that are making major strides in their industries.
The WBM Top 100 Innovation CEO 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.
1 - HAMUTAL YITZHAK - CHAIR AND CEO OF ELSE NUTRITION
Hamutal Yitzhak is a successful serial entrepreneur and inventor, with a series of global patents and innovations to her name, coupled with a portfolio of novel innovative foods that are nutritious, nourishing and preventive.
Hamutal is the Chairwoman, CEO & Co-Founder of Else Nutrition Holdings Inc, which developed “Else” – the first 100% plant-based, globally patented dairy-free and soy-free baby nutrition, providing the first-ever viable alternative to traditional infant nutrition based on cow's milk and soy - which have been the standard for over 100 years. Else Nutrition was recently recognized by the TSX, a 2021 Venture 50TM Company, for best performance. Hamutal has dedicated most of her professional life to infant & child nutrition, and in recent years has relentlessly focused on the mission of making healthier cleaner foods accessible and available to everyone. In the last few years, Hamutal has been a trail blazer in this industry and has challenged the global infant formula industry by developing and producing natural clean foods, focusing on the transparency of ingredients and manufacturing processes to provide the cleanest and healthiest products possible.
Hamutal holds a BSc with honors in Psychology and General Science and MBA from Tel Aviv University. She lives in Tel Aviv, married and is a mother of 4.
2 - BRENT COLLVER - CEO OF ROMET
Brent Collver’s deep passion for innovation spans 20 years and a string of huge wins in leadership roles that have crystalized into Romet Ltd. This disruptor is transforming the natural gas industry with advanced, connected technologies that empower the industry’s drive for a sustainable and balanced future. We talk to Brent about the major challenges facing the natural gas industry, and why Romet has been so impactful. We also ask about the transferable ingredients behind his phenomenal success story for the benefit of other entrepreneurs and leaders.
Romet Limited provides end-to-end measurement solutions to natural gas utilities across the globe by providing best-in-class technologies to meet our customers' needs now and 20 years from now. Our technological platforms are designed to seamlessly provide customer-centric measurement solutions at any level of your business.
"Innovation is core to our business and our approach includes always challenging the status quo on behalf of our customers. This means we must continually strive to understand the customer and their challenges (in all forms) and present innovative solutions to solve problems. The product is only one part of the complete solution, and innovation isn’t limited to hardware or software."
3 - JOHN ADAMS - CEO AND MANAGING PARTNER OF NGIF
John Adams is President and CEO of NGIF Capital Corporation and Managing Partner of NGIF Cleantech Ventures, Canada’s first venture capital firm and venture fund created by and for Canada’s natural gas sector. He is involved in all aspects of the enterprise including the responsibility of NGIF Industry Grants, the NGIF Emissions Testing Centre and NGIF Cleantech Ventures.
John has led NGIF through growth and in its four years of raising capital, making investments, and managing its portfolio, it has provided financing to over 50 startups, de-risking clean technology solutions in Canada’s gas industry. He has been integral to building NGIF’s team and reputation in the innovation community, taking new companies and their ideas from concept through to commercialization. John’s additional contributions to innovation include occupying numerous board functions and duties.
He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the $100 million Clean Resources Innovation Network (CRIN) and is a member of the International Gas Union’s Research, Development, and Innovation Committee.
John earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto in Environmental Science and is a graduate of the Berkley Venture Capital Executive Program.
4 - MARTIN BRUDERMÜLLER - CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF BASF SE
Martin Brudermüller was born in Stuttgart in 1961. From 1980 onwards he studied Chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and received his degree in 1985. After earning his doctorate in Karlsruhe in 1987, he did a postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley, United States.
He is responsible for the divisions Corporate Legal, Compliance & Insurance; Corporate Development; Corporate Communications & Government Relations; Corporate Human Resources; Corporate Investor Relations.
“Innovations made BASF the leading chemical company. Today our customers and the whole society are more than ever looking for innovative solutions. We all need answers for problems like climate change, scarcity of resources and marine littering. As the most innovative chemical company we take a special responsibility here, because innovations based on chemistry are key to those answers."
"With our Carbon Management Program we set a benchmark in achieving the climate protection targets, with our ChemCycling approach we aim towards a circular economy. We also co-founded the Alliance to End Plastic Waste , a global effort to end plastic waste in the environment. This is how we understand our corporate purpose – "We create chemistry for a sustainable future".
5 - DOUG PARKER - CEO OF AMERICAN AIRLINES
Doug Parker was named chairman and chief executive officer in 2013. He oversees American Airlines Group and American Airlines, its principal subsidiary company.
Doug is a strong supporter of the people of the airline industry and American is emblematic of the transformation that has occurred in the industry in recent years. The integration of American and US Airways has been a success and the airline has produced record financial results. Previously, Doug was chairman and CEO of US Airways. Under Doug’s leadership, US Airways achieved record revenue growth, operational performance and profit margins that outpaced most industry peers. Before the merger of US Airways and America West Airlines in 2005 Doug was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of America West. He became CEO at America West just 10 days before Sept. 11, 2001, and led the carrier through the crisis.
Doug serves as the chairman of the Airlines for America (A4A) Board of Directors and also sits on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors and oneworld Governing Board. He is a member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust and the SMU Cox School of Business Executive Board. Doug earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Albion College in 1984 and a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University in 1986.
6 - ELLEN J. KULLMAN - CEO OF CARBON, INC.
Ellen is the President & CEO of Carbon. 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. 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.
7 - LISA SU - CEO OF AMD
Dr. Lisa T. Su is AMD president and chief executive officer, a position she has held since October 2014, and serves on the AMD Board of Directors.
Previously, from July 2014 to October 2014, 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.
Dr. Su spent the previous 13 years at IBM in various engineering and business leadership positions. 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. Dr. Su has been a member of the board of directors of Cisco Systems, Inc., since January 2020. She also serves on the board of directors for the Semiconductor Industry Association.
8 - AMIN H. NASSER - CEO OF ARAMCO
Amin H. Nasser is the president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals enterprise, and the largest provider of crude oil to global markets. He is also a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
During a company career that spans more than three decades, Nasser has served in a number of leadership positions, including as senior vice president of Upstream. In that role, he led Saudi Aramco’s largest capital investment program in its integrated oil and gas portfolio. Under Nasser’s leadership, the company is now building on its upstream leadership position by expanding its presence in the downstream and chemicals segments of the value chain.
Nasser is actively engaged in the advancement of people through education and training, and advancing the company’s innovation and technology strategy. Nasser is a champion of Saudi youth advancement and development and keenly supports the company’s Young Leader’s Advisory Board (YLAB), a program designed to link Saudi Aramco leadership with the voice of its young professionals.
At the same time, Nasser is leading Saudi Aramco’s efforts to produce cleaner energy and products through investments in promising technologies, and industry-wide efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
9 - JOHN CHEN - CHAIRMAN AND CEO BLACKBERRY
John Chen is Executive Chairman of BlackBerry’s Board of Directors and CEO. Under John’s leadership, BlackBerry has achieved financial stability and built growth engines in endpoint management, cybersecurity, encryption, and embedded systems. The company’s software connects and protects over half a billion endpoints today, including over 195 million vehicles, and is used by organizations around the world, including 18 of the G20 governments.
John is a distinguished and proven leader in the technology industry. Prior to joining BlackBerry, he served as Chairman and CEO of Sybase Inc. from 1998 for 15 years, where he developed and led the company’s re-invention from a mature, slower-growth technology company into a $1.5 billion-plus high-growth innovator. Under his direction, Sybase became the leading provider of enterprise mobility and mobile commerce solutions, achieving 55 consecutive quarters of profitability.
John started his career as an engineer at Burroughs Corp. in 1979, where he progressed to General Manager of the UNIX Group following a merger that renamed the company Unisys. John went on to become President of Pyramid Technology, where he served from 1991-1995, before they were acquired by Siemens Nixdorf and he was offered the position of Executive Board Member, which he held from 1995-1997.
10 - MATTEO LUNELLI - CEO OF LUNELLI GROUP
Matteo is the President and CEO of Ferrari Winery, Italy’s leading producer of luxury sparkling wines, founded in Trento in 1902, and the President of Surgiva F.lli Lunelli S.p.A., a company which produces a light and exclusive mineral water with its source in the Adamello National Park in Trentino.
Matteo is currently the CEO of the Lunelli group, an Italian beverage group which, along with Ferrari and Surgiva, includes the historic grappa brand Segnana, the Tenute Lunelli still wines (from Trentino, Tuscany and Umbria) and finally Bisol, a historic brand for Prosecco Superiore representing the highest level of quality for wine production in the Valdobbiadene territory.
After the acquisition of the Company by the Lunelli Group, Matteo became Vice President of Bisol. He is 47 years old, he is married and has two children. He graduated with honours in Economics at Bocconi University, Milan and, before joining the family business, he developed his international experience in financial consulting working for five years at Goldman Sachs International in Zurich, London and New York. Strongly committed to promote the Italian lifestyle, Matteo is President of Fondazione Altagamma, which gathers together famous high-end Italian companies from various sectors in order to promote top-quality Italian industry and the culture of excellence that supports it.
11 - JEAN-JACQUES RUEST - CEO OF CN
Jean-Jacques Ruest was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2018, after having served as Interim President and CEO since March 2018. He was previously Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer since January 2010, with responsibility for providing the strategic direction and leadership for CN's Sales, Marketing and CN Supply Chain Solutions groups.
Mr. Ruest joined CN in 1996 at the time of the privatization. Prior to this, Mr. Ruest worked for 16 years at a major international chemical company. Mr. Ruest holds a Masters in Business Administration in Marketing from HEC Montréal (Université de Montréal) and a Bachelor of Science degree in applied chemistry from the Université de Sherbrooke.
He also completed the executive program of the University of Michigan Business School, and CN's Railroad MBA program. Over the course of his career, Mr. Ruest has been honoured many times by the business community, notably as 2019 Railroader of the Year and an Inductee to the International Maritime Hall of Fame in 2017.
CN is a true backbone of the economy whose team of approximately 24,000 railroaders transports more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America.
12 - JANE FRASER - CEO OF CITI
Jane Fraser is the Chief Executive Officer of Citi, the world's most global bank, serving millions of consumers, businesses and institutions across 160 countries and jurisdictions. She is the first female CEO in the firm’s history.
Jane has deep experience across Citi’s consumer and institutional businesses and, in many ways, she helped shape Citi into the company it is today. Before becoming CEO in February 2021, she was President of Citi and CEO of the Global Consumer Bank, responsible for all of Citi’s Consumer businesses, including Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Credit Cards, Mortgage and Operations and Technology in 19 markets. Before that, she was the CEO of Citigroup Latin America from 2015 to 2019. From 2013 to 2015, she was the CEO of the U.S. Consumer and Commercial Banking and CitiMortgage. From 2009 to 2013, Jane served as the CEO of Citi's Global Private Bank. Prior, Jane was the Global Head of Strategy and M&A for Citi from 2007 to 2009. She joined Citi in 2004.
She is Vice Chair for Partnership for New York City and a member of the Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors, the Stanford Advisory Board, the Economic Club of New York and the Council on Foreign Relations. Jane has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and M.A. in economics from Cambridge University. She is married with two children.
13 - XAVIER HUILLARD - CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF VINCI
Xavier Huillard is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, of VINCI. Mr. Huillard is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (Ponts ParisTech). He has spent most of his working life in the construction industry in France and abroad. Mr Huillard joined Sogea in December 1996 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of international activities and specific projects, and then became its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1998.
He was appointed Deputy General Manager of VINCI in March 1998 and was Chairman of VINCI Construction from 2000 to 2002. He was appointed Co-Chief Operating Officer of VINCI and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Energies from 2002 to 2004, then Chairman of VINCI Energies from 2004 to 2005. Mr Huillard became Director and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI in 2006 and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI on 6 May 2010. He served as Chairman of the Institut de l’Entreprise from January 2011 until January 2017. He became Chairman of VINCI Concessions SAS in 2016.
VINCI is a global player in concessions, construction and energy businesses, employing more than 217,000 people in some 100 countries.
14 - FABIEN SIMON - CEO OF JDE PEET’S
Fabien Simon is the Executive Director and CEO of JDE Peet's. Prior to becoming CEO, Fabien Simon was a a Partner at JAB and a non-executive Director of the company. He is responsible for leading the successful IPO on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange in May 2020. He also currently serves as Chairman of National Veterinary Associates.
Between August 2014 and January 2019, he was the CFO of JDE, during which time he led its M&A strategy and multiple large-scale integrations. Prior to JDE, he spent 13 years at Mars, Incorporated, holding leadership roles, including Asia Pacific Corporate Staff, Vice President and CFO Petcare Europe. Fabien also spent eight years at Valeo in a variety of leadership roles.
JDE Peet’s is the world's leading pure-play coffee and tea company. JDE Peet's unleashes the possibilities of coffee and tea in more than 100 countries with a portfolio of over 50 brands, including L’OR, Peet’s, Jacobs, Senseo, Tassimo, Douwe Egberts, Old Town, Super, Pickwick and Moccona. In 2020, JDE Peet’s generated total sales of EUR 6.7 billion and employed a global workforce of more than 19,000 employees. Our passion for coffee & tea, respect for the environment and care for people is reflected in our goal to have 100% responsibly sourced green coffee and tea, 100% recyclable or compostable packaging, and gender balanced management positions by 2025.
15 - PEKKA LUNDMARK - CEO OF NOKIA
With almost 20 years as a Chief Executive Officer, Pekka has accrued deep expertise in the telecommunications, technology, energy, machinery, and finance sectors, all of which are central to the transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Pekka was appointed as Nokia’s CEO on August 1, 2020. He has put in place a new operating model for the company and positioned Nokia as a trusted partner for critical networks around the world. These critical networks are advanced systems of hardware and software that run mission-critical services for companies and societies. They are central to Pekka's passionately held belief that technology and connectivity can and should help industries and societies improve productivity and sustainability as well as create new opportunities. Originally from Espoo, Finland, Pekka earned a master’s degree in information systems from Aalto University’s Department of Technical Physics. He holds advisory or oversight roles at the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, the Climate Leadership Council, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.
Nokia creates technology that helps the world act together. As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks.
16 - ANNE RIGAIL - CEO OF AIR FRANCE
A graduate of the Mines Paris Tech business school, Anne Rigail joined Air Inter in 1991. In 1996, she was appointed head of Air France Customer Services at Paris-Orly. In 1999, she became head of Passenger and Baggage connections at Paris-CDG, and subsequently head of customer and baggage products for Ground Operations. In 2005, she was promoted Head of Operations at the Paris-CDG hub and became VP Paris-CDG Hub in 2009.
She joined the Executive Committee in 2013 as Executive Vice President in-flight services, in charge of cabin crew. In 2017, she was appointed EVP Customer Experience, in charge of supervising ground and in-flight products and services, including Air France airport lounge design, cabin layout and modernization, and roll-out of in-flight Wi-Fi. Anne Rigail was appointed CEO on 12 December 2018.
Since 1933, Air France has been promoting and highlighting France throughout the world. With an activity divided between passenger transport, cargo transport and aeronautical maintenance, Air France is a major air transport player. More than 42,000 staff that make up its workforce are committed on a daily basis to offering each customer a unique travel experience. Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Transavia make up the Air France-KLM Group. The leader in terms of intercontinental traffic in Europe.
17 - SANJAY BRAHMAWAR - CEO OF SOFTWARE AG
Sanjay Brahmawar is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Software AG Management Board.
Brahmawar became Software AG's Chief Executive Officer in August 2018. He leads Software AG in a new era of digitalization, a time when digital connections via integration, APIs, the Internet of Things and analytics are increasingly important to ensure business continuity. Before joining Software AG, Brahmawar served as general manager for global revenue at IBM’s Watson IoT and managed the global business of data analytics and artificial intelligence software products in that capacity. He previously held GM, Vice President and Executive Partner roles within various IBM businesses.
Brahmawar brings hands-on IoT expertise, a wealth of international experience and technical know-how blended with an entrepreneurial vision to Software AG. Prior to IBM, he served at PwC, Fedex, DSM and Honda. He is a frequent guest speaker at industry events and conferences where he demonstrates the value of the connected IoT ecosystem and his obsession for customer-centric innovations that can deliver unprecedented organizational performance.
Software AG: For modern enterprises, software is the ultimate value driver. That’s why we set out to become the software pioneers of a truly connected world.
18 - SVEIN TORE HOLSETHER - CEO OF YARA
Svein Tore Holsether (born 1972) is President and Chief Executive Officer of Yara International since 2015.
Mr. Holsether is passionate about promoting the Sustainable Development Goals in the global business arena. To contribute to a thriving future and drive inclusive growth, he is member of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Food & Nature program for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), member of the steering committee of IMAGINE Food Collective, a nature champion and member of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF). He was a Commissioner of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission (BSDC), and also serves as Chair of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA). In 2021, he was elected President of NHO, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise. Previously, Mr. Holsether has held a range of senior positions in large industrial companies. He has a BSc degree, specializing in Finance & Management, from the University of Utah, USA.
For more than 100 years Yara has invented, produced and sold products that feed the world and protect the planet, all the time creating value for our shareholders. Also for the next 100 years we will continue our ambitious journey based on profitable growth and continuous improvement. There is no trade-off between business for good and good business.
19 - JULIÁN DÍAZ GONZÁLEZ - CEO OF DUFRY
Julián Díaz González is the Director, Chief Executive Officer has been the CEO of Dufry AG since 2004.
His previous career history included the following: 1989 – 1993 General Manager at TNT Leisure SA, 1993 – 1997 Division Director at Aldeasa, 1997 – 2000 various managerial and business positions at Aeroboutiques de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. and Deor, S.A. de C.V., 2000 – 2003 General Manager of Latinoamericana Duty-Free, S.A. de C.V. Julián Díaz González has a Degree in Business Administration from Universidad Pontificia Comillas I.C.A.D.E de Madrid.
Dufry is a global travel retailer with operations in 64 countries. Geographic diversification is a key element of the company’s strategy. Dufry Ltd is publicly listed in Switzerland. The headquarters of the Group are located in Basel, Switzerland. The company's history goes back to its foundation in 1865.
Dufry has more than 60 years of travel retail experience – just one of the factors that has contributed to the company's successful position today as leading travel retailer worldwide. Dufry’s ESG engagement aims at fostering high standards of environmental stewardship and social equity, while generating positive contributions for all our stakeholders.
20 - DAVID HALE - CEO OF GUERBET
David Hale is the Chief Executive Officer of Guerbet, be became CEO in January 2020. David, Franco-American, joined Guerbet’s Executive Committee in February 2018 as Chief Commercial Officer.
His international career is characterized by strong geographical mobility, particularly in the United States, France, Germany and Switzerland, contributing to his ability to adapt and succeed in different cultures.
Prior to Guerbet, David Hale was with the Boston Consulting Group and then with GE Healthcare, where he spent most of his career in areas such as Service, Software and Medical Devices.
Guerbet is a worldwide pharmaceutical group specialized in diagnostic and interventional imaging. Guerbet is a pioneer in the contrast-agent field, with more than 90 years' experience, and is a leader in medical imaging worldwide.
It offers a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical products, medical devices and services for diagnostic and interventional imaging, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients. With 8% of revenue dedicated to R&D, Guerbet is a substantial investor in research and innovation. Guerbet (GBT) is listed on Euronext Paris (segment B – mid caps).
21 - CHRISTEL BORIES - CHAIRPERSON AND CEO OF ERAMET
Christel Bories is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eramet since 2017.
Christel Bories began her career in 1986 as a strategy consultant with Booz-Allen & Hamilton before moving to Corporate Value Associates. She subsequently held several executive positions with Umicore, then Pechiney Group. Christel Bories was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alcan Packaging, then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alcan Engineered Products and finally Chief Executive Officer of Constellium (ex Alcan), until December 2011. She was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Ipsen in February 2013 until March 2016. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Smurfit Kappa since 2012.
With operations in 20 countries around the world, Eramet is a major player in the beneficiation of ores and metals, as well as in the production and transformation of high-performance alloys.
Fully committed to the energy transition, the Group aims to become a reference in the responsible transformation of the Earth’s mineral resources for living well together.
"Our goal is to continually drive value creation in all of our activities by being more agile, more effective and focused on areas where we will make a difference."
22 - MAURICIO RAMOS - CEO OF MILLICOM
Mauricio Ramos joined Millicom in April 2015 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and was elected as an Executive Director in June 2020.
Since joining Millicom he has pioneered a variety of initiatives, most notably transforming the company into a fixed internet and mobile business with a strong focus on Latin America. Under his leadership, Millicom solidified its company purpose “to build the digital highways that connect people, improve lives, and develop communities,” and a strong corporate culture described by its more than 21,000 employees as ‘Sangre Tigo”, leading to the company-wide acknowledgements as one of the Top 25 Best Multinational Workplaces in Latin America in the Great Place to Work (GPTW) survey. Expanding Millicom’s presence across Latin America, in 2018 he led the acquisition of Cable Onda, the Group’s first asset in Panama, and followed in 2019 with the acquisition of Telefonica’s mobile subsidiaries in Panama and Nicaragua. He also led the company to begin trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market in the US under the ticker symbol TIGO complementing the listing on NASDAQ Stockholm.
Mauricio is an active member of various boards of directors of corporations, educational institutions, and business associations.
23 - MITCHELL ELEGBE - CEO OF INTERSWITCH
Mitchell Elegbe is the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Interswitch.
Before establishing Interswitch in 2002, Mitchell worked with TELNET as the Group Head for Business Development after an impactful time as a Wireline Engineer at Schlumberger. An alumnus of the IESE/Wharton/CEIBS Global CEO Program, Mitchell is a Bishop Desmond Tutu fellow of the African Leadership Institute. Building a remarkable career on his background as an Electrical/Electronic Engineering graduate from the University of Benin, Nigeria, he has won several awards, including the CNBC/Forbes All African Business Leader (AABLA) for West Africa, and Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Mitchell currently serves as a Board Member at Endeavor and is reputed as a High Impact Entrepreneurship Enabler.
Switching Africa’s Payment Future through Innovation: Interswitch’s broad network and robust payments platform have been instrumental to the development of the Nigerian payments ecosystem and provide Interswitch with credibility to expand across Africa. Today, Interswitch is a leading player with critical mass in Africa’s rapidly developing financial ecosystem and is active across the payments value chain, providing a full suite of omni-channel payment solutions.
24 - YAMINI RANGAN - CEO OF HUBSPOT
Yamini Rangan is Chief Executive Officer at HubSpot. Prior to becoming CEO, Yamini served as HubSpot's first-ever Chief Customer Officer, overseeing the marketing, sales, and services teams.
A tech industry veteran, Yamini has more than 24 years of experience ranging from product marketing, sales, and strategy. Yamini previously served as Chief Customer Officer at Dropbox, where she was responsible for embedding customer focus across the organization.
Before Dropbox, she was VP of Sales Strategy and Operations at Workday, where she helped quadruple revenue and scaled the sales organization. At SAP, Yamini held several customer-facing leadership roles in strategy, pre-sales and value-based selling and helped close landmark deals. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering, a Master’s in Computer Engineering, and an MBA from Berkeley. In 2019, Yamini was recognized as one of the Most Influential Women in Business by San Francisco Business Times.
The CRM Platform Your Whole Business Will Love: HubSpot’s CRM platform has all the tools and integrations you need for marketing, sales, content management, and customer service. Each product in the platform is powerful alone, but the real magic happens when you use them together.
25 - RESHMA KEWALRAMANI - CEO OF VERTEX
Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., FASN, is the Chief Executive Officer and President at Vertex. Dr. Kewalramani has dedicated her career to improving the lives of patients, including the last 15+ years through the development of new medicines. She joined Vertex in 2017 and was previously the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Medicines Development and Medical Affairs. Under Dr. Kewalramani’s leadership, Vertex also advanced several programs outside of CF into the clinic, including alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, APOL1-mediated kidney diseases, sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia.
Prior to Vertex, Dr. Kewalramani spent more than 12 years at Amgen where she held a variety of roles across Research and Development, including as Vice President, Global Clinical Development, Nephrology & Metabolic Therapeutic Area and Vice President, U.S. Medical Organization. Dr. Kewalramani completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and her fellowship in Nephrology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital combined program.
Dr. Kewalramani received her medical degree, with honors, from the seven-year medicine program at the Boston University School of Medicine and completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.
26 - BILL LIU - CEO AND CHAIRMAN OF ROYOLE
Dr. Bill Liu is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Royole Corporation, a pioneer and global leader in the flexible technology industry.
Royole has developed a series of innovative technologies and products for next-generation technologies, including super-thin fully flexible displays, fully flexible sensors, and the world’s first commercial foldable screen smartphone, FlexPai, brought to market. Dr. Liu founded Royole with two friends from Stanford in 2012 with the mission to transform the way people experience and interact with the world. Royole introduced the world's thinnest 0.01 mm fully flexible display in 2014. In 2018, Royole commenced the volume production of fully flexible displays from its $1.7B production campus in Shenzhen, marking a new era in display tech.
Dr. Liu was selected to Fortune’s 2019 40 Under 40, 35 Innovators Under 35 by MIT Technology Review in 2017, Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2017 and Top 10 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in the US and China by Forbes in 2015. Previously Dr. Liu worked at IBM. He received a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2009, and B.S./M.S. degrees with honors in Electronic Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2004/2006. He was a recipient of both First Prizes for National Olympiad of Physics & Chemistry (1999).
27 - SIOBHÁN TALBOT - GROUP EXECUTIVE, GLANBIA
Siobhán Talbot was appointed as Group Managing Director on 12 November 2013, having been appointed Group Managing Director Designate on 1 June 2013.
She was previously Group Finance Director and her role encompassed responsibility for Group strategic planning. She has been a member of the Group Operating Executive since 2000 and the Board since 2009 and has held a number of senior positions since she joined the Group in 1992.
She is also a Director of the Irish Business Employers’ Confederation (IBEC) and was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of CRH plc effective 1 December 2018. Prior to joining Glanbia, she worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dublin and Sydney. A fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Siobhán graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and Diploma in Professional Accounting.
Glanbia: We are dedicated to delivering better nutrition for every step of life’s journey. That means we are curious about finding ways to make better, healthier and smarter products that fit the lifestyles and needs of people around the world. We are constantly innovating, developing and reinventing, creating products that fit easily into people’s daily lives. The desire to do better is embedded in our business.
28 - JEAN-MARIE TRITANT - CEO OF UNIBAIL-RODAMCO-WESTFIELD
Jean-Marie Tritant is the Chairman of the Management Board of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.
He joined Unibail in 1997 in the Offices Division, initially as Project Manager, then as Asset Manager and Head of Asset Management. He later became General Manager of the Offices Division and then Managing Director Retail France in 2007. In 2012, he was appointed Managing Director Retail and Offices France. He became Chief Operating Officer in April 2013. Since June 2018, he was President U.S. of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. He holds a degree from ESC Dijon (France) and a master’s degree from Paris-Sorbonne University (France) in commercial real estate, a qualification recognised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is the premier global developer and operator of flagship destinations. With the support of our 2,900 professionals and an unparalleled track-record and know-how, we are ideally positioned to generate superior value and develop world-class projects. We distinguish ourselves by our Better Places 2030 agenda, that sets our ambition to create better places that respect the highest environmental standards and contribute to better cities.
With innovation at the heart of our strategy, we are able to serve our ambition to be the preferred partner for brands and retailers, and be the go-to destination for customers.
29 - CARSTEN SPOHR - CEO OF DEUTSCHE LUFTHANSA AG
Carsten Spohr, born on 16 December 1966 in Wanne-Eickel, has been Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG since 1 May 2014. He manages the Lufthansa Group with the business segments Network Airlines, Eurowings and Aviation Services with around 135,000 employees worldwide.
After graduating with a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, Carsten Spohr obtained a commercial pilot's license at the Lufthansa Verkehrsflieger-Schule in Bremen and Phoenix. As a member of the central junior research group, he then completed the trainee program at Deutsche Aerospace AG, Munich. Carsten Spohr was appointed Chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo AG with effect from 15 January 2007. From 1 January 2011, he was a member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Chairman of the Lufthansa Pas-sage Executive Board. On 1 May 2014, Carsten Spohr took over as Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Carsten Spohr holds the Lufthansa Captain's license for the Airbus A320 Family air-craft types. He is married and has two daughters.
The Lufthansa Group is a global aviation group with a total of more than 530 subsidiaries and equity investments. The Lufthansa Group is composed of the segments Network Airlines, Eurowings and Aviation Services.
30 - RICARDO GUADALUPE - CEO OF HUBLOT
Ricardo Guadalupe, was appointed as CEO of Hublot in 2012. He succeeded Jean-Claude Biver, who took up the role of Chairman of the Board of Hublot.
That transition in leadership marked an entire career in the Swiss watch industry, and 20 years of loyal collaboration with Jean-Claude Biver, with exceptional results attributable to this duo, such as the renaissance of Blancpain and the burgeoning development of Hublot, two brands which rival the greatest names in watchmaking.
Of Spanish descent, Ricardo Guadalupe was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland on 5th March 1965, where he grew up and spent his entire school career in this region known as the cradle of Swiss luxury watchmaking. After obtaining his school leaver's certificate, and already driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, he enrolled in a Swiss Business School before leaving for California in the United States to take a course at the University of Los Angeles (UCLA).
In 1988, he was 22 years of age. With a degree and successful time spent in America behind him, he decided to return to Switzerland to start his professional career.
Watchmaking was his profession of choice, a passion which had grown year on year since his earliest days in Neuchâtel.
31 - ESTER BAIGET - CEO OF NOVOZYMES
Ester Baiget is the President and CEO of Novozymes. Ester is an experienced international leader with a strong track-record.
Ester came to Novozymes after working as president for Dow’s Industrial Solutions business unit and a member of the executive leadership team. She joined Dow in 1995 as an engineer in Tarragona, Spain. In her years as Business President for Industrial Solutions, the business expanded the market, improved its market-leading position, delivered double-digit growth and strong earnings.
She holds a chemical engineering degree and an MBA from the University of Tarragona (Spain).
Novozymes is the world leader in biological solutions. Together with customers, partners, and the global community, we improve industrial performance while preserving the planet's resources and helping build better lives.
As the world's largest provider of enzyme and microbial technologies, our bioinnovation enables higher agricultural yields, low-temperature washing, energy-efficient production, renewable fuel, and many other benefits that we rely on today and in the future. We call it Rethink Tomorrow.
32 - JIM BARNES - CEO OF ENVISTA
Jim Barnes has spent the last 30 years helping retail organizations solve highly complex supply chain, IT and omnichannel commerce challenges for Fortune 500 brands and retail companies.
As CEO of enVista, Barnes has built the only retail software solutions and consulting services firm with the depth and breadth of capability to truly optimize and unify both physical and digital commerce end-to-end, from order capture through fulfillment and from source to consumption.
Hundreds of the world’s leading brands have leveraged Barnes’ expertise and the capabilities of enVista to drive efficiencies and cost savings, improve profitability, customer service and competitive advantage and improve and transform their operations, including Sephora, GNC, Dallas Cowboys Merchandising, Toys ‘R’ Us Canada, Tractor Supply, Giant Eagle, Advance Auto and Urban Outfitters.
Barnes sits on the executive board for a number of companies. He is regularly featured in industry and business publications, serves as a Forbes contributor, and regularly speaks on retail and supply chain topics at National Retail Federation’s Big Show, Operations Summit, Future Stores, IRCE, the Retail Industry Leaders Association Supply Chain Conference, and other partner and supply chain conferences.
33 - GEDIMINAS ZIEMELIS - CEO OF AVIA GROUP
Gediminas Ziemelis is the founder and chairman of Avia Solutions Group - a leading global aerospace services group with almost 100 offices and production stations providing aviation services and solutions worldwide.
Throughout a business development career spanning more than 24 years, Gediminas Ziemelis has established over 50 start-ups and green-field investments in various industries such as IT, media, luxury furniture, pharma, clinics, agriculture, and across other industry sectors.
At present, these companies are either owned by PE "Vertas Management", or have previously been sold and are now components of other sizeable organisations.
Spanning his career to date, G. Ziemelis has received many prestigious industry recognitions. In 2016, Ziemelis received a prestigious European Business Award in recognition of his visionary business management and development skills.
The same year, under his leadership, Avia Solutions Group was named a national public champion in the category of Entrepreneurship, earning a spot in the top 110 European businesses. Twice – in 2012 and again in 2014 – Ziemelis was acknowledged as one of the top 40 most talented young leaders in the global aerospace industry by the leading USA aerospace magazine 'Aviation Week'.
34 - TORBEN CARLSEN - CEO OF DFDS
Torben Carlsen has been Executive Vice President and CFO of DFDS A/S since 2009 and CEO since May 1st 2019. He holds an MSc. in Finance.
Torben is also Chair of: Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, CI-II K/S, CI-III K/S & NMF K/S, Chairman of the Investment Committee; IV K/S, Chairman of Limited Partner Advisory Committees.
DFDS provides ferry and logistics services in Europe and Turkey, generating annual revenues of DKK 17bn. Our 8,000 employees are located on ferries and in offices across 20 countries. DFDS was founded in 1866, is headquartered in Copenhagen, and listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen.
The DFDS A/S story began in 1866, when C.F. Tietgen merged four Danish steamship companies of the day. Since then, DFDS has developed into a major European shipping and logistics company.
DFDS’ activities are structured in two commercial divisions:
DFDS operates one of the largest networks of ferry routes in and around Europe, including own terminals in key locations.
Logistics Division Provides European door-door transport solutions to manufacturers of consumer and industrial goods.
35 - BRIGITTE COURTEHOUX - CEO OF FREE2MOVE
Brigitte Courtehoux is Chief Executive Officer of Free2Move and was appointed, in January 2021, to the Top Executive Team of Stellantis.
She has built her career, first during 3 years at “Electricité de France”, and then in the automotive industry at Groupe PSA, on operations, projects, quality and business fields. She joined Groupe PSA in 1998 and held Planning and Quality Manager positions in various car projects. In 2006, she became Chief of Staff of PSA Quality Director. In 2008 and 2009, she was Vice President Head of world wide Quality Control Tower. Between 2010 and 2013, as Global Project Director, she successfully managed and launched the Peugeot Crossover “2008” in the European, Latin American and Chinese markets. In September 2013, Brigitte Courtehoux was appointed as Senior Vice President, head of Mobility and Cééonnected Services Business Unit.
She launched the Free2Move brand in September 2016. In 2018, she became Executive Vice President and a member of Groupe PSA’s Global Executive Committee. At the beginning of 2020, her scope of responsibility was enlarged with the Business Lab (Groupe PSA’s new business incubator). Brigitte Courtehoux holds an engineering degree from the “Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble” and an Exec utive MBA from HEC Paris Business School.
36 - DAVID SLATER - CEO OF DT MIDSTREAM
David Slater was born in Leamington, Ontario, Canada. After graduating with honors in business commerce and earning a Master of Business Administration from the University of Windsor, he began an impactful 30-year career in the energy industry, working in key leadership positions both in commercial business development and operations.
After working for an Ontario-based utility, he gained experience at various companies in the energy and merchant sector before joining Nexen, a Canadian natural gas producer. At Nexen, he led natural gas marketing strategies for the United States and Canada and eventually rose to managing director. Under his leadership, Nexen grew into a top-10 energy provider in North America.
When Goldman Sachs acquired Nexen’s gas marketing operations, Slater served as a vice president at Goldman for one year before joining DTE Energy as a senior vice president for DTE Gas Storage & Pipelines.
At DTE, he became a member of the executive leadership team, serving as president and chief operating officer of DTE Midstream, the company’s non-utility natural gas pipeline, storage and gathering business. Beginning in October 2020, he led multiple internal teams through an eight-month spinoff of the midstream business into a new publicly traded company.
37 - T.W. SHANNON - CEO OF CCB BANK
T.W. Shannon is an accomplished leader with diverse experience in business, public service and community engagement. Today he leads one of the most unique banks in the country. As the CEO of Chickasaw Community Bank based in Oklahoma City, he leads a remarkably successful enterprise that is wholly owned by the Chickasaw Nation. Under his leadership, Chickasaw Community Bank has grown its total assets to over $215 million.
Prior to pursuing a career in business, where he uses his financial and legal knowledge, T.W. enjoyed an impressive tenure in public service capped off by his fellow lawmakers choosing him to lead the Oklahoma House of Representatives - the ultimate vote of confidence.
T.W. Shannon made history in January of 2013 when, at 34 years of age, he rose to become the youngest Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the youngest in the country. Additionally, he was the first Chickasaw and first African American to rise to the coveted and powerful position of Speaker.
Before serving in the legislature, T.W. worked as one of five C-level officers in the role of Chief Administrative Officer at the Chickasaw Nation, which generated annual revenues of over $1 billion, and employed over 7,500 employees at the time.
www.ccb.bank
38 - PETER CARLSSON - CEO OF NORTHVOLT
Peter Carlsson is the founder of Northvolt. He left the position as CPO and Head of Supply Chain at Tesla Motors in the end of 2015 to become an entrepreneur, advisor and angel investor.
In 2016 Peter founded Northvolt with the mission to build Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery factory.His current board engagement includes Metso (Fin) and Gränges (Swe), with automotive, cleantech and high tech as his focus areas. Before joining Tesla, Peter was the CPO for NXP (former Philips Semiconductors) responsible for purchasing and outsourcing. Located in Singapore, he was country manager for Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines. Before starting at NXP, Peter was CPO at Sony Ericsson since 2005.
Peter had a total of 13 years experience from different roles with Ericsson and Sony Ericsson. He has a Masters degree with specialization in production and quality control at Luleå Technical University in Sweden.
Northvolt is a European supplier of sustainable, high-quality battery cells and systems. Founded to enable the transition to a decarbonized future, the company has made swift progress on its mission to deliver the world’s greenest lithium-ion battery with a minimal CO2 footprint. Among its industrial partners and customers are ABB, BMW Group, Scania, Siemens, Vattenfall, Vestas, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
39 - LYNN J. GOOD - CEO OF DUKE ENERGY
Lynn Good is chair, president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy, one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Under her leadership, Duke Energy has intensified its focus on serving its customers and communities well today while leading the way to a cleaner, smarter energy future.
Before becoming CEO in 2013, she served as Duke Energy’s chief financial officer and earlier led the company’s commercial energy businesses during its initial development of renewable energy projects. She began her utility career in 2003 with Cincinnati-based Cinergy, which merged with Duke Energy three years later. Prior to 2003, she was a partner at two international accounting firms, including a long career with Arthur Andersen. Fortune magazine lists Good as 23rd among the “Most Powerful Women in Business,” and Forbes magazine calls her one of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.” Under Good’s leadership, Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to achieve its ambitious climate goals – at least a 50% carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Since 2005, the company has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 40%.
Duke Energy, one of the largest energy holding companies in the United States, supplies and delivers electric services to approx. 7.9 million customers in the Southeast and Midwest.
40 - KEVIN M. JONES - CEO OF RACKSPACE
Rackspace Technology® is an industry leader in multicloud solutions across applications, data, security and infrastructure on the world’s leading cloud platforms. With nearly seven thousand employees worldwide, the company serves customers in more than 120 countries and generates $2.5 billion in annual revenue.
Chief Executive Officer Kevin is an accomplished business leader with 30 years of technology services experience and has a proven track record in leading business transformations. Before joining Rackspace Technology in April 2019, Kevin was the CEO of MV Transportation, the largest privately owned transportation contracting firm in the US. MV generates $1.5 billion in annual revenue and has more than 20,000 employees. Kevin has held global leadership roles at Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Hewlett-Packard (HP), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Dell and, most recently, DXC Technology(DXC), a $25 billion publicly traded IT services company. He served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Americas region with 66,000 employees and $10 billion in annual revenue.
Kevin is on the board of global nutrition company Herbalife. Kevin holds a BBA from James Madison University and is a Certified Management Accountant. He is married with two sons, and enjoys running, triathlons, boxing, tennis and golf.
41 - TOM KEISER - CEO OF HOOTSUITE
Tom joined Hootsuite as CEO in July, 2020 when founder Ryan Holmes moved into the role of Chairman of the Board. Tom has over 30 years experience as a global business and technology leader.
With a proven track record of transforming companies, prioritizing to realize value and a passion for making things work better, Tom has a history of building teams and clearing a path for them to do great things. He excels at scaling a business through hyper growth, placing an equal focus on people and customer experience.
Prior to joining Hootsuite, Tom spent four years at Zendesk as COO, where he helped build the company into the $9B+ publicly traded leader it is today. Before finding his sweet spot in SaaS, Tom held top roles in both operations and IT at major retail, finance and tech companies including The Gap Inc., L Brands, Ernst & Young, and Capgemini.
Tom is a father, a husband, a traveler, an avid reader, a long serving board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters, a sports enthusiast, a fisherman and an art collector. He has a decent jump shot.
Hootsuite empowers organizations to build trust and deepen relationships through the power of social.
42 - MIRKA WILDERER - CEO OF DE NORA WATER
Dr. Mirka Wilderer, CEO of De Nora Water Technologies is recognized as one of the leading executives in the water industry with deep experience in corporate strategies, business transformation, and cross-functional leadership in global organizations.
With her entrepreneurial approach, Mirka’s career expands over a timeline as an executive and change leader for global organizations with deep experience in corporate strategies, business transformation and cross-functional leadership. She has worked on four continents and attained a doctorate in international business while seeking innovative solutions to leading change and preserving one of our world’s most precious resources: water.
In 2019, Mirka was appointed the first female CEO of De Nora Water Technologies, a leader in disinfection and filtration technologies with a global footprint in the water industry. Under her leadership the business has already realized a 9% CAGR in the past 2 years and has delivered EBITDA improvements of >900 bps while managing through the global pandemic and pivoting to surface disinfection.
As the only female CEO of a major water technology provider globally in a traditional work environment that generally skews male, she is becoming a role model for providing opportunity and fostering a world that celebrates diversity.
43 - SCOTT WATTERSON - CEO OF IFIT HEALTH & FITNESS
Scott Watterson is responsible for setting the overall direction and strategy for iFIT Health & Fitness as the company’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Scott has served in both roles since 1988, growing iFIT, formerly known as ICON Health & Fitness, Inc., to the global leader in connected fitness that it is today.
Having co-founded iFIT’s predecessor company, Weslo, Inc., in 1977, Scott has over 40 years’ experience in helping people from every demographic, fitness level, and ambition pursue and achieve their health and fitness goals. Scott is currently serving on the Board of Directors for The Employers Council, which serves five western states. Previously, he served on the Board of Trustees at Utah State University, Utah State University Foundation, the Board of Trustees for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah and the Utah Foundation. Scott graduated from Utah State University College of Business in 1979.
iFIT is a leading health and fitness platform. iFIT develops tech that is cutting-edge, keeping it accessible so anyone who wants to reach their fitness goals has the right tools to do it. Our vision is to create the world's most holistic health and fitness platform, integrating all elements of health - physical fitness, mental health, nutrition and active recovery - into a seamless interactive experience.
44 - CHRIS URMSON - CEO OF AURORA
Mr. Urmson is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aurora. He is also a member of the board of directors of Aurora.
Prior to founding Aurora, Mr. Urmson helped build Google’s self-driving program from 2009 to 2016 and served as Chief Technology Officer of the group. Mr. Urmson has over 15 years of experience leading automated vehicle programs. He was the Director of Technology for Carnegie Mellon’s DARPA Grand and Urban Challenge Teams, which placed second and third in 2005, and first in 2007.
Mr. Urmson earned his Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and his BEng in Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba. Mr. Urmson currently serves on Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science Dean’s Advisory Board.
Mr. Urmson also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Edge Case Research, a company working to assure the safety of autonomous systems for real world deployment.
Additionally, he is on the Veoneer Technical Advisory Board, and the Shell New Energies External Advisory Board. Mr. Urmson has authored over 60 patents and over 50 publications.
www.aurora.tech
45 - SCOTT G. STEPHENSON - CEO OF VERISK
Scott G. Stephenson is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Verisk, bringing more than 30 years of executive experience and a successful record of strategic leadership and innovation to the company.
Scott is a values-based leader who launched The Verisk Way—the company’s principles to serve, add value, and innovate that guide how Verisk engages with customers, employees, shareholders, and communities. Under his leadership, Verisk has been named one of the World’s Best Employers, one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, and one of America’s Best Employers for Women. In 2008, Scott was appointed chief operating officer. He was named company president in 2011, CEO in 2013, and chairman of the board in 2016. Before joining Verisk, Scott was a senior partner with Boston Consulting Group. He also served as a senior advisor to Silver Lake Partners, a tech-oriented private equity firm.
Top media outlets identify Scott as a leading global executive with a commitment to innovation. Forbes recognized him as one of America’s Most Innovative Leaders and as one of the Top 25 Most Innovative Leaders worldwide. Institutional Investor also named him the top CEO in the company’s industry category. Scott holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia.
46 - HAYDEN BROWN - CEO OF UPWORK
Hayden Brown is president and CEO of Upwork. Before being named CEO in January 2020, Hayden held leadership roles at Upwork in both product and marketing.
Having been at Upwork since 2011, she is known for bold leadership and her passion for the company’s mission to create economic opportunities so that people live better lives. That passion stems from her childhood years spent living in Kathmandu, Nepal, and she’s committed to building a sustainable, high-performing business that delivers on that mission in ever-bigger ways.
Prior to becoming CEO, Hayden was Upwork’s chief marketing and product officer. In this role, she led the major expansion of Upwork’s offerings to attract and serve sophisticated business buyers who could significantly benefit from Upwork’s global pool of talent.
Before joining Upwork, Hayden led corporate development for LivePerson and held strategy and corporate development roles at Microsoft. She began her career as an analyst at McKinsey and Company after earning an AB in Politics from Princeton University. She has been named to Staffing Industry Analysts’ "40 Under 40" and "Global Power 150—Women in Staffing." Hayden is married with two children.
47 - NEIL MCFARLANE – CEO OF ADAMAS PHARMACEUTICALS
Neil joined Adamas as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors in September 2019.
He has over two decades of global biopharmaceutical and life sciences experience delivering value to patients suffering from serious illnesses. Neil has delivered growth in both specialty and orphan products in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Retrophin, Inc. with principal responsibility for global commercial operations, corporate development, patient services, and program and alliance management. Previously he held executive and general management positions at leading biopharmaceutical companies, including UCB, Genzyme, and Sangstat Medical Corporation. Neil served as an officer and enlisted soldier in the United States Army Reserves. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Nursing from the University of Florida.
Adamas is a fully integrated pharmaceutical company experienced in drug discovery, development, and delivery of treatments for neurological diseases. We are driven by a deep sense of purpose – to make everyday life significantly better for people affected by neurological disorders. We leverage our experience in drug discovery, development and commercialization to deliver innovative medicines that reduce the burden on patients, caregivers, and society.
48 - PAUL FLANAGAN - CEO OF NASUNI
Paul Flanagan is responsible for all aspects of Nasuni’s global operations. He is focused on building a world-class team of innovators whose common goal is to leverage the cloud to reinvent enterprise file storage.
Paul has a wealth of experience building and leading high growth companies. As an operating executive, he has raised over a billion dollars of financing and has taken two companies from start-up to IPO with capitalizations over $1 billion. Paul has served as CEO at Rave Mobile Safety and StorageNetworks (IPO: Nasdaq), CFO at VistaPrint, now Cimpress (IPO: Nasdaq), and VP of Finance at Lasertron (Acquired: Corning) and Vitol Gas and Electric (Acquired: Coral Energy). Paul has also spent 12 years as co-founder and managing director at Sigma Prime Ventures where he led investments in Wordstream (acquired: Gannett), Bionx (acquired: Ottoboch), ReThink Robotics, High Street Partners (acquired: HG Capital/Nair), Contently, and NS1. Paul is also a founding investor and board member for Nasuni. Paul started at Ernst & Young and graduated at Bentley University.
Nasuni provides modern cloud file storage, powered by the world's only cloud-native global file system. Nasuni is a cloud replacement for traditional network attached storage (NAS) and file server silos, consolidating file data in instantly expandable cloud object storage at a fraction of the cost.
49 - GAIL K. BOUDREAUX - CEO OF ANTHEM
Gail K. Boudreaux is President & CEO of Anthem, Inc., a Fortune 50 company and leading health benefits provider, serving more than 43 million insured members through its affiliated health plans. In total, Anthem serves over 107 million lives through its broad portfolio of health insurance and services subsidiaries.
Throughout her more than three decades in the healthcare industry, Ms. Boudreaux has established an outstanding record of successfully leading multi-billion dollar businesses. As former CEO of United Healthcare, Ms. Boudreaux led the largest business division of UnitedHealth Group, where she had responsibility for approximately $120 Billion in revenue and over 60,000 employees serving 45 million consumers.
Prior to United Healthcare, Ms. Boudreaux served as Executive VP of Health Care Services Corporation and earlier as President of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois. She earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Dartmouth College and an MBA with distinction from Columbia Business School.
Gail has been named as one of Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Business…and featured by Forbes as one of 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. Additionally, she has been named by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare, and she also received the 2018 Billie Jean King Leadership Award.
50 - DARIUS MAIKŠTĖNAS - CEO OF IGNITIS
Darius Maikštėnas is the Chair of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer at Ignitis Group.
Mr. Maikštėnas, who has 8 years of executive experience, joined Ignitis Group in 2018. Since 1 February 2018 he is the Chair of the Management Board and on 12 February he assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer. He is also a Chair of the Supervisory Board of AB "Energijos skirstymo operatorius" and is a member of the Management Board at Eurelectric.
Darius Maikštėnas gained executive experience while working in telecommunication and energy sectors. He led an international company located in Silicon Valley that offers innovative telecommunication solutions and operates in the United States and the UK under the WiderFi brand. Prevously, Darius Maikštėnas worked as an advisor for the venture capital fund Nextury Ventures, he served as Vice President at Omnitel, was an independent member and Chair of the Management Board at LESTO.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Kaunas University of Technology before obtaining a master's degree in Business Administration at the Baltic Management Institute. He also completed an executive management programme at Harvard Business School.
