Businessperson of the Year

businessperson of the year

<strong>“Lead from the back,”</strong> Nelson Mandela famously said, “and let others believe they are in front.” In a year dominated by political chaos and bluster, it was a rare brand of steady—even quiet— leadership that won the day in the business world. And no one epitomizes that brand of obsessively results-driven, team-based leadership more than our new No. 1 Businessperson of the Year. To create our annual list, we first screen for results, looking at 10 financial factors ranging from total return to shareholders to return on capital. Then we search for the standouts. The leaders who tackled audacious goals, overcame impossible odds, found creative solutions. Read on for how they—and their companies— thrived in 2019. You just might learn something about tackling a challenge of your own.

Satya Nadella

Elizabeth Gaines

Brian Niccol

Margaret Keane

Bjørn Gulden

Tricia Griffith

Fabrizio Freda

Ajay Banga

W. Craig Jelinek

Jamie Dimon

Daniel Schulman

Tom Linebarger

Robert Greenberg

Joey Wat

Julie Sweet

Daniel Zhang

Strauss Zelnick

Jayshree Ullal

Gary Guthart

Chen Lin

legacy

Rank

Businessperson of the Year | Fortune

Rank	Name
1	Satya Nadella	View More details about Satya Nadella
2	Elizabeth Gaines	View More details about Elizabeth Gaines
3	Brian Niccol	View More details about Brian Niccol
4	Margaret Keane	View More details about Margaret Keane
5	Bjørn Gulden	View More details about Bjørn Gulden
6	Tricia Griffith	View More details about Tricia Griffith
7	Fabrizio Freda	View More details about Fabrizio Freda
8	Ajay Banga	View More details about Ajay Banga
9	W. Craig Jelinek	View More details about W. Craig Jelinek
10	Jamie Dimon	View More details about Jamie Dimon