Güler Sabancı

It's hard to imagine a more tumultuous environment than Turkey in 2016, but Sabancı Holding, one of that country's oldest and largest conglomerates, more than weathered the storm. The $11.5 billion group, which operates in 16 countries and whose activities span financial, energy, and manufacturing industries, achieved 12% and 19% revenue and profit growth, respectively, in local currency last year. Güler, the company's chairman since 2004, also serves on the board of Siemens and is the guiding force behind Sabancı University, one of Turkey's top college institutions. An active philanthropist, Güler is also an outspoken advocate for gender equality in the country.