5 of the World’s Most Innovative Business Leaders
A great business leader knows how to gain trust and respect, as well as how to inspire. Many of the world’s most successful companies are led by innovators who appreciate the need for advancement and aim to keep their companies relevant and exciting.
1. Reed Hastings — Netflix
Born in Boston on October 8, 1960, Reed Hastings is the CEO of Netflix, a company that he co-founded in 1998 when the business was a mail-order movie rental venture. The company has progressed exceptionally well under Hastings’ leadership, evolving to become an Internet giant that streams movies on demand. By September 2014, Netflix had more than 40 million subscribers and its stock had more than tripled. This exponential growth is largely attributed to the platform launching the critically acclaimed TV shows House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. Today, Netflix is credited with revolutionizing the entertainment industry, providing consumers with an innovative new alternative to cable TV.
2. Tim Cook — Apple
As the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook presides over the world’s most valuable company.
Since he took over for Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs, who died of cancer in 2011, Tim Cook has helped to steer Apple to new heights. Under his leadership, Apple has developed a wide range of new products and services.
Cook has overseen the opening of Apple retail stores in China, as well as the development of innovative new product lines. In 2012, Tim Cook made headlines as the world’s highest paid CEO with a salary of $378 million.
3. Jan Koum — WhatsApp
In 2009, Jan Koum co-founded WhatsApp. The messaging service’s rise in popularity has been dramatic. Within three years, the network was handling approximately 10 billion messages per day. In June 2013, the app set a new record, processing 27 billion messages in a single day. By the end of that year, WhatsApp had 400 million monthly users.
Now presiding as the company’s CEO, Jan Koum maintains that the app will remain ad-free, pointing out that the integration of advertisements always impacts the user experience. Cell phones are intended to be personal and private, after all. While many billion-dollar companies have been lured by the pay-per-click business model over the years, Koum suggests that advertising on WhatsApp would not be inconducive to optimizing customer experience.
4. Mark Parker — Nike
In 1979, Mark Parker joined Nike as a footwear designer. He moved up the chain of command, becoming the CEO in 2006. Currently, he is the executive chairman of the company.
Since Parker joined the leadership ranks, Nike’s sales have more than doubled, earning him a reputation as one of the world’s most creative CEOs. A somewhat introverted leader, Mike Parker is known for his thoughtful leadership style and possesses a meticulous approach to designing new products.
Inspired by visual stimulation, Parker immerses himself in a diverse mix of contemporary art, including a collection of miniature Nike shoes. He does not believe in micromanaging and prefers to elicit ideas from his staff and to encourage others to help to refine promising new concepts. Parker makes a point of soliciting ideas from junior team members, teasing out raw ideas and putting them in the spotlight. He explains that ideas can come from anywhere, with side projects growing into multibillion-dollar franchises, a fact that he likes to celebrate with his staff.
5. Jeff Bezos — Amazon
In 1994, Jeff Bezos opened a virtual bookstore known as Amazon that would expand to become a billion-dollar company. He developed the software for the site in his garage with the help of several employees. Amazon sold its first book in 1995 and achieved net sales of $510,000 by the end of that year.
Three years later, the company began selling CDs and eventually added videos and consumer electronics. By 2018, Amazon recorded nearly $233 billion in revenue. Today, Bezos serves as the CEO of Amazon, which is now worth $1.5 trillion.
Bezos maintains a philosophy of always placing customers first. For instance, Bezos leaves an empty seat at conference tables in order to symbolize the importance of customers.
