Zhang Xin

The numbers weren’t pretty in 2014 for SOHO China, the high-profile commercial developer that Xin and her husband founded two decades ago. Known for its iconic, environmentally-friendly office buildings, revenues for the firm fell almost 60% last year and profits were down 45%, thanks in part to the Chinese market meltdown. Since September 2014, the company has lost roughly half its market value. But Xin, a regular at the likes of Davos, remains an influencer and SOHO is in the process of changing its business model. Earlier this year, it launched SOHO 3Q, a shared office space brand; it will have 11 locales by the end of 2015. —Erika Fry