They certainly have the influence, and along with it, the will to bring positive change
1 Angela Merkel
German Chancellor
Across Germany, the world’s third biggest economy, the former physicist has earned the trust and the political leverage to push ahead with a range of much-needed reforms. In her second term, Merkel’s centre-right coalition has a bouquet of pro-market measures that claim to promote growth, reform the tax system, restructure the health system and yet not allow the fiscal deficit to run away. Her supporters call it a new beginning. The results could also have far-reaching implications for an entire continent caught in a dangerous state of drift.
3 Carlos Ghosn
CEO, Renault-nissan
Carlos Ghosn is a believer — in the prospect of good business. Over the next decade, the world is expected to have two billion cars on the roads. With increasing carbon emissions and limited availability of fossil fuels, the auto industry knows full well that its future lies in more fuel-efficient cars. Yet in the last decade, no automobile manufacturer has had the courage to tackle the problem at its core. Several start-ups came up but fizzled out.
(This story appears in the 08 January, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)