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WORLD BIZ MAGAZINE ANNUAL AWARDS - GLOBAL TOP 100 INNOVATION CEOS OF 2021
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.
