CEOWORLD magazine - Latest - CEO Insider - The World’s Most Influential CEOs And Business Executives Of 2023

CEO Insider

The World’s Most Influential CEOs And Business Executives Of 2023

James P. Gorman

Who is the best CEO in the world? Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren E. Buffett, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, AT&T Inc’s John T. Stankey, or Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook? Well-known or unknown, these are the most successful, talented, and influential CEOs for long-term investors to watch as they build remarkable businesses that are worth holding for decades.

The world’s best chief executive officers (CEOs) typically aren’t the flashiest. They think beyond tomorrow’s share prices or the next earnings call to create lasting value. To compile our results, we collected data on nearly 3,000 CEOs worldwide and examined how CEOs of large public companies performed. The best CEO in the long haul turned out to be one who frequently underperformed in the short term — while continuing to make big bets on the future. The CEOs who made the 2023 list have undeniably been effective and influential.

So which global CEOs delivered solid results over the long run, and which business leaders would truly show strong performance? Our 2023 list of top performers provide an objective answer. However, our ranking does contain a few surprises. You’ll see some relatively unknown faces at the top.

​The CEOWORLD magazine has revealed its annual list of the world’s most influential chief executive officers (CEOs) and business executives. Unsurprisingly, James P. Gorman, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley, came first in the CEOWORLD magazine’s global ranking of the world’s best CEOs across all industries for 2023. The highest-ranking woman CEO is Karen S. Lynch, president and chief executive of CVS Health, who heads one of the largest healthcare companies in the world.

The 2023 rankings placed Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart, in the second spot ahead of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy (No. 3), Apple CEO Tim Cook (No. 4), CVS Health’s CEO Karen S. Lynch (No. 5), and Aramco President and Chief Executive Officer Amin H. Nasser ranked sixth.

While UnitedHealth Group’s CEO Andrew Witty ranked seventh, and Darren W. Woods of Exxon Mobil Corporation eighth. Overall, among the world’s top 10 best CEOs and business executives for 2023, the ninth and tenth positions are held by Warren E. Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc and Alphabet Inc. chief executive Sundar Pichai.

CVS Health’s CEO Karen S. Lynch (No. 5); Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance; Gail K. Boudreaux, CEO at Elevance Health; Mary Barra, Chair and Chief Executive Officer at General Motors; Sarah M. London, CEO at Centene; Fannie Mae’s Priscilla Almodovar; UPS’s Carol B. Tome; Citigroup’s Jane Fraser; Corie Barry of Best Buy; Susan Patricia Griffith of Progressive Corporation; Catherine Fiamma MacGregor of Engie; Thasunda Brown Duckett of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA); Oracle’s Safra Ada Catz; Phebe Novakovic of General Dynamics; Northrop Grumman’s Kathy J. Warden; Accenture’s Julie Sweet, PT Pertamina (Persero) CEO Nicke Widyawati; and Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc (No. 195) are the only 18 women to make the top 200 CEOs list this year.

Best CEOs In The World Of 2023

RankExecutiveCompanyTitleCountry
1James P. GormanMorgan StanleyChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
2Doug McMillonWalmart IncPresident and CEOUnited States
3Andy JassyAmazon.com, IncPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
4Tim CookApple Inc.Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
5Karen S. LynchCVS HealthPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
6Amin H. NasserAramcoPresident and Chief Executive OfficerSaudi Arabia
7Andrew WittyUnitedHealth GroupChief Executive OfficerUnited States
8Darren W. WoodsExxon Mobil CorporationChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
9Warren E. BuffettBerkshire Hathaway IncChief Executive OfficerUnited States
10Sundar PichaiAlphabet Inc.Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
11Wael SawanShell plcChief Executive OfficerUnited Kingdom
12Brian TylerMcKesson CorporationChief Executive OfficerUnited States
13Oliver BlumeVolkswagen GroupChief Executive OfficerGermany
14Steven H. CollisAmerisourceBergen CorporationChairman, President and CEOUnited States
15Jeremy WeirTrafigura GroupExecutive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Singapore
16Walter Craig JelinekCostco Wholesale CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
17David CordaniCigna GroupChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
18Young-Way LiuHon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn)Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerTaiwan
19John T. StankeyAT&T Inc. Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
20Satya NadellaMicrosoft CorporationChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
21Gary NagleGlencore Chief Executive OfficerSwitzerland
22Jason HollarCardinal HealthChief Executive OfficerUnited States
23Michael K. (Mike) WirthChevron CorporationChairman of the Board and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
24Ted DeckerHome DepotChair, President & Chief Executive Officer
United States
25Patrick PouyanneTotalEnergiesChairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer France
26Rosalind Brewer Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
27Carlos TavaresStellantisChief Executive OfficerNetherlands
28Michael J. HenniganMarathon Petroleum CorporationChairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
29Gail K. BoudreauxElevance HealthPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
30Bernard LooneyBP p.l.c.Chief Executive OfficerUnited Kingdom
31William Rodney McMullenKrogerChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
32Jim FarleyFordPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
33Hans VestbergVerizon Communications, Inc.Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
34Ola KälleniusMercedes-Benz Group AGChairman of the Board of Management and Chief Executive OfficerGermany
35James DimonJPMorgan Chase & Co.Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
36Mary Teresa BarraGeneral MotorsChair and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
37Katsuya NakanishiMitsubishiDirector, President and Chief Executive OfficerJapan
38Sarah M. LondonCenteneChief Executive OfficerUnited States
39Mark ZuckerbergMeta Platforms, Inc.Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
40Oliver BäteAllianz SEChairman of the Board of Management and Chief Executive OfficerGermany
41Brian L. RobertsComcast CorporationChairman & Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
42Mark E LashierPhillips 66President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
43Thomas BuberlAxa S.A.Group Chief Executive OfficerFrance
44Joseph W. GorderValero EnergyChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
45Michael S. DellDell TechnologiesChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
46Brian C. CornellTargetChair and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
47Priscilla AlmodovarFannie MaeChief Executive OfficerUnited States
48Alexey Borisovich MillerPJSC GazpromChairman of the Management Committee and Chief Executive OfficerRussia
49Carol B. TomeUnited Parcel Service - UPSChief Executive OfficerUnited States
50Markus RauramoFortumPresident and Chief Executive OfficerFinland
51Marvin R. EllisonLowe'sChairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
52Brian Thomas MoynihanBank of AmericaChair of the Board and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
53Oliver ZipseBMW - Bayerische Motoren Werke AGChairman of the Board of Management and Chief Executive OfficerGermany
54Joaquin DuatoJohnson & JohnsonChairman of the Board and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
55Bernard ArnaultLVMHChairman And Chief Executive OfficerFrance
56Juan Ricardo LucianoArcher Daniels MidlandChairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
57Toshihiro MibeHonda Motor Co., LtdPresident and Chief Executive OfficerJapan
58Rajesh SubramaniamFedEx CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
59Bruce D. BroussardHumanaPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
60Timotheus HottgesDeutsche Telekom AGChief Executive OfficerGermany
61Charles W. ScharfWells Fargo & CompanyPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
62Michael TipsordState Farm InsuranceChairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
63Philippe DonnetAssicurazioni Generali S.p.A. Chief Executive OfficerItaly
64Dr. Albert BourlaPfizerChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
65Jane FraserCitigroupChief Executive OfficerUnited States
66Ramon LaguartaPepsiCoChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
67Philippe BrassacCrédit AgricoleChief Executive OfficerFrance
68Patrick (Pat) GelsingerIntel CorporationChief Executive OfficerUnited States
69Jon R. MoellerProcter & GambleChairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
70H. Lawrence Culp Jr.General ElectricChairman and Chief Executive Officer United States
71Francesco StaraceEnel S.p.A. Chief Executive Officer and General ManagerItaly
72Arvind KrishnaIBMChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
73Michel A. KhalafMetLife, Inc.President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
74Jean-Bernard LévyEDF - Électricité de France S.A.Chief Executive OfficerFrance
75Charles F. LowreyPrudential Financial, Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
76Vivek SankaranAlbertsons Companies, Inc.Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
77Robert Allen IgerThe Walt Disney CompanyChief Executive OfficerUnited States
78Ulf Mark SchneiderNestlé S.A.Chief Executive OfficerSwitzerland
79James (Jim) D. TaicletLockheed Martin CorporationChairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
80Michael DeVitoFreddie MacChief Executive OfficerUnited States
81Shrikant Madhav VaidyaIndian Oil Corporation Ltd (IndianOil)ChairmanIndia
82David M. SolomonGoldman Sachs Group, Inc.Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
83Gregory J. HayesRaytheon TechnologiesChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
84Martin BrudermullerBASF SEChairman of the Board of Executive Director and Chief Executive OfficerGermany
85Enrique J. LoresHP Inc.President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
86David L. CalhounBoeing CompanyPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
87Samuel N. HazenHCA HealthcareChief Executive OfficerUnited States
88Claudio DescalziEni S.p.A.Chief Executive OfficerItaly
89Richard A. GonzalezAbbVieChairman of the Board and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
90James R. FitterlingDow Inc.Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
91Elon MuskTeslaChief Executive OfficerUnited States
92Leonhard BirnbaumE.ON SEChairman of the Board of Management and Chief Executive OfficerGermany
93Thomas J. WilsonAllstateChair, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
94Peter S. ZaffinoAmerican International Group, Inc. (AIG) Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
95Corie BarryBest Buy Co. Inc.Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
96Anders OpedalEquinor ASAPresident and Chief Executive OfficerNorway
97Christopher L. WinfreyCharter CommunicationsPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
98Kevin P. HouricanSysco CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
99Robert M. DavisMerckPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
100Frans MullerAhold DelhaizePresident and Chief Executive Officer; Chair and member of the Management Board and Executive CommitteeNetherlands
101Craig DeSantoNew York Life InsurancePresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
102D. James (Jim) Umpleby IIICaterpillar Inc.Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
103Kenichiro YoshidaSonyChairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerJapan
104Charles H. RobbinsCisco SystemsChair and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
105Ernie HerrmanTJX Companies Inc.President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
106Igor SechinRosneftChief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management BoardRussia
107Randall T. JonesPublix Super MarketsChief Executive OfficerUnited States
108Ryan M. LanceConocoPhillipsPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
109Alexandre BompardCarrefourChairman and Chief Executive Officer France
110Timothy M. SweeneyLiberty Mutual InsurancePresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
111Susan Patricia GriffithProgressive CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
112Kirt A. WalkerNationwideChief Executive OfficerUnited States
113Jean-Laurent BonnaféBNP ParibasDirector and Chief Executive OfficerFrance
114Donnie D. KingTyson FoodsPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
115Giovanni CaforioBristol Myers SquibbChairman of the Board and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
116Ken MurphyTesco PLCGroup Chief Executive OfficerUnited Kingdom
117John DonahoeNike Inc.President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
118John C. MayDeere & CompanyChairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
119Stephen J. SqueriAmerican Express CompanyChairman And Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
120Catherine Fiamma MacGregorEngieGroup Chief Executive OfficerFrance
121Robert B. FordAbbott Laboratories Inc.Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
122Thasunda Brown DuckettTeachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA)President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
123Safra Ada CatzOracle CorporationChief Executive OfficerUnited States
124Joachim WenningMunich ReChairman of the Board and Chief Executive OfficerGermany
125Marc N. CasperThermo Fisher ScientificChairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
126James QuinceyCoca-Cola CompanyChairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
127Phebe NovakovicGeneral DynamicsChairwoman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
128Mukesh D. AmbaniReliance IndustriesChairman & Managing DirectorIndia
129José Antonio ÁlvarezBanco Santander, S.A.Chief Executive OfficerSpain
130Leon TopalianNucor Chairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
131Calvin ButlerExelon CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
132Roger W. CrandallMassachusetts Mutual Life Insurance CompanyChairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
133Noel Paul QuinnHSBCGroup Chief Executive OfficerUnited Kingdom
134Kathy J. WardenNorthrop GrummanChair, President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
135Mike Roman3MChairman And Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
136S. N. SubrahmanyanLarsen & Toubro LtdChief Executive Officer and Managing DirectorIndia
137Bruce FlattBrookfield Asset ManagementChief Executive OfficerCanada
138Roland BuschSiemens AGPresident and Chief Executive OfficerGermany
139Severin SchwanRoche Holding AGChief Executive OfficerSwitzerland
140Rajesh GopinathanTata Consultancy Services (TCS)Chief Executive Officer and Managing DirectorIndia
141Alan D. SchnitzerTravelersChairman And Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
142Sean J. KerinsArrow Electronics, Inc.President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
143Baoan Xin State Grid Corporation of ChinaChairmanChina
144Aditya MittalArcelorMittalChief Executive OfficerLuxembourg
145Jean Paul PratesPetróleo Brasileiro S.A.Chief Executive OfficerBrazil
146Qijun HouChina National Petroleum Corp (CNPC)ChairmanChina
147T. V. NarendranTata Steel LimitedChief Executive Officer and Managing DirectorIndia
148Darius AdamczykHoneywellChairman And Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
149Cristiano AmonQualcomm IncorporatedPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
150Richard FairbankCapital One Financial CorporationChairman And Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
151Richard T. HumeTD Synnex CorpChief Executive OfficerUnited States
152Salil ParekhInfosysChief Executive Officer and Managing DirectorIndia
153Ma YongshengSinopec GroupChairmanChina
154Werner BaumannBayer AGChief Executive OfficerGermany
155Guillaume FauryAirbus SEChief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of DirectorsNetherlands
156Mario GrecoZurich Insurance Group LtdGroup Chief Executive Officer and member of the Executive CommitteeSwitzerland
157Sajjan JindalJSW GroupChairman And Managing DirectorIndia
158Ed BastianDelta Air LinesChief Executive OfficerUnited States
159Rainer M. BlairDanaher CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
160Zheng Xuexuan China State Construction Engineering GroupChairmanChina
161David A. RicksEli Lilly and CompanyChair and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
162Antonio NeriHewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
163Sunil DuggalVedantaGroup Chief Executive OfficerIndia
164Bob SulenticCBRE Group, Inc.President and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
165Sanjay MehrotraMicron TechnologyPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
166Tian GuoliChina Construction Bank (CCB)Chairman and Executive DirectorChina
167Hock E. TanBroadcom Inc.President, Chief Executive Officer and DirectorUnited States
168Satish PaiHindalco IndustriesManaging DirectorIndia
169Mauricio GutierrezNRG EnergyPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
170Jensen HuangNvidia CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
171Robert M. BakishParamount GlobalPresident and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
172Gopal VittalBharti AirtelChief Executive Officer and Managing DirectorIndia
173Dr. C. C. WeiTSMC - Taiwan SemiconductorChief Executive OfficerTaiwan
174Robert IsomAmerican Airlines GroupChief Executive OfficerUnited States
175Ning GaoningSinochem GroupChairman of the BoardChina
176Vasant (Vas) Narasimhan, M.D.NovartisChief Executive OfficerSwitzerland
177Michel DoukerisAnheuser-Busch InBevChief Executive OfficerBelgium
178C VijayakumarHCL TechnologiesChief Executive Officer and Managing DirectorIndia
179Syh-Jang LiaoPegatron CorporationPresident and Chief Executive OfficerTaiwan
180Martin LundstedtVolvo GroupPresident and Chief Executive OfficerSweden
181Bai TaoChina Life Insurance CompanyChairmanChina
182Josu Jon Imaz San MiguelRepsol S.A.Chief Executive OfficerSpain
183Thierry DelaporteWipro LimitedChief Executive Officer and Managing DirectorIndia
184Julie SweetAccenture plcChair and Chief Executive OfficerIreland
185Lard FrieseAegon N.V.CEO and Chairman of the Executive and Management BoardNetherlands
186Dr. Anish ShahMahindra GroupManaging Director & CEOIndia
187Nicke WidyawatiPT Pertamina (Persero)Chief Executive Officer (President Director)Indonesia
188Tengku Muhammad TaufikPetroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS)President and Group Chief Executive OfficerMalaysia
189Mathias MiedreichUmicore N.V.Chief Executive OfficerBelgium
190Alfred SternOMVChief Executive OfficerAustria
191Mike HenryBHP GroupChief Executive OfficerAustralia
192Gilberto TomazoniJBS S.AGlobal Chief Executive OfficerBrazil
193Amanda Blanc Aviva plcGroup Chief Executive OfficerUnited Kingdom
194Luca De MeoRenault GroupChief Executive OfficerFrance
195Vincent Clerc A.P. Moller – MaerskChief Executive OfficerDenmark
196R. Jeffrey OrrPower Corporation of CanadaPresident and Chief Executive OfficerCanada
197Eduardo BartolomeoVale SAGlobal Chief Executive OfficerBrazil
198Jakob StausholmRio Tinto GroupChief Executive OfficerUnited Kingdom
199Brad BanducciWoolworths Food GroupChief Executive OfficerAustralia
200Auttapol RerkpiboonPTTPresident and Chief Executive OfficerThailand
201Jeffrey GennetteMacy’s, Inc.Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerUnited States
202Beth E. FordLand O’Lakes, Inc.President and CEOUnited States

Methodology (The CEO Leaderboard): CEOWORLD magazine’s global ranking of the best chief executives for 2023 measured more than 1,200 CEOs across 96 countries. Taking a long view of business performance, the methodology is primarily based on the financial returns for the CEO’s entire tenure, which makes up 60 percent of the final ranking, as opposed to stock price and the current quarter’s numbers.

To calculate the final position, the additional 40 percent of a CEO’s ranking factors in a company’s track record on environmental, governance, and social issues, as well as market shares, change of market capitalization, and brand’s newsworthiness and impact.


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CEOWORLD magazine - Latest - CEO Insider - The World’s Most Influential CEOs And Business Executives Of 2023
Anna Papadopoulos
Anna Papadopoulos is a senior money, wealth, and asset management reporter at CEOWORLD magazine, covering consumer issues, investing and financial communities + author of the CEOWORLD magazine newsletter, writing about money with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. You can follow CEOWORLD magazine on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or connect on LinkedIn for musings on money, wealth, asset management, millionaires, and billionaires. Email her at info@ceoworld.biz.