The World's 50 Greatest Leaders

Rank
25
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Leo Varadkar

WGL05.19-Leo Varadkar
Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, poses for a photograph following a Bloomberg Television interview on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. World leaders, influential executives, bankers and policy makers attend the 49th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos from Jan. 22 - 25. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesSimon Dawson—Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • Title
    Prime Minister
  • Affiliation
    Ireland

Ireland’s youngest ever Taoiseach—and first openly gay and first ethnic-minority leader—stands out on all fronts. But it’s how he has positioned Ireland to win big in Brexit that’s most noteworthy. Varadkar’s commitment to low taxes and low-drama politics has wooed the likes of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays to move their European bases to Dublin while securing Ireland’s title as Europe’s fastest-growing economy.