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Famous Business Leaders

The best-known entrepreneurs, executives and investors in our archive, ranked by historical popularity.

82 business leaders in our database, ranked by historical popularity. Page 1 of 2.

A business leader becomes notable when the companies they build or run change everyday life. That might be a product almost everyone uses, an industry they created, or a fortune large enough to shape politics and philanthropy. Some are remembered for their success, others for spectacular failures.

This list covers the entrepreneurs, industrialists, bankers, investors and executives in our database. We rank them by historical popularity rather than by wealth, so the order reflects how widely each person is known, not the size of their fortune.

Who is included: everyone in our database whose primary occupation matches this list. Each person must have an English Wikipedia article and a full date of birth recorded on Wikidata. A growing share of people also have an original profile, written to our editorial rules and marked with a Last reviewed date.

Most famous business leader

Ivana Trump

Highest historical popularity score (HPI 85.7)

Most common birth month

April

11 of 82 were born in April

Living vs deceased

44 / 38

54% are still living

Most common nationality

American

41 people, 50% of the list

Editor-written profiles

15

18% have a full original profile so far

The ranked list

  1. 01Ivana TrumpIvana TrumpCzech-born businesswoman who ran the Trump Castle casino and the Plaza Hotel during her first marriage to Donald Trump.Czech-American · Born February 20, 1949 · Died July 14, 2022View profile
  2. 02Howard HughesHoward HughesAviation pioneer and film producer whose wealth was matched by his later reclusive life.🇺🇸American · Born September 24, 1905 · Died April 5, 1976View profile
  3. 03Cecil John RhodesCecil John RhodesDiamond magnate behind De Beers whose will funded the Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford.🇬🇧British · Born July 5, 1853 · Died March 26, 1902View profile
  4. 04Bill GatesBill GatesCo-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen and later directed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's global health and development work.🇺🇸American · Born October 28, 1955View profile
  5. 05Warren BuffettWarren BuffettInvestor who built Berkshire Hathaway into a vast conglomerate, earning the nickname the Oracle of Omaha.🇺🇸American · Born August 30, 1930View profile
  6. 06Oskar SchindlerOskar SchindlerIndustrialist who protected about 1,200 Jewish workers from deportation and death by employing them in his factories during the Second World War.West German · Born April 28, 1908 · Died October 9, 1974View profile
  7. 07George SorosGeorge SorosInvestor who made a fortune betting against the pound in 1992 and funds causes through the Open Society Foundations.Hungarian-American · Born August 12, 1930View profile
  8. 08John D. RockefellerJohn D. RockefellerBuilt Standard Oil into a dominant American refining monopoly and became one of history's richest people before turning to large-scale philanthropy.🇺🇸American · Born July 8, 1839 · Died May 23, 1937View profile
  9. 09Jeff BezosJeff BezosFounded Amazon, which grew from an online bookshop into a giant of e-commerce and cloud computing.🇺🇸American · Born January 12, 1964View profile
  10. 10Bernard MadoffBernard MadoffFormer Nasdaq chairman whose Ponzi scheme, the largest in history, collapsed in 2008.🇺🇸American · Born April 29, 1938 · Died April 14, 2021View profile
  11. 11Vince McMahonVince McMahonPromoter who, with his wife Linda, built WWE into the world's largest professional wrestling company, led by the WrestleMania events.🇺🇸American · Born August 24, 1945View profile
  12. 12Aristotle OnassisAristotle OnassisShipping magnate who built a vast tanker fleet and later married Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of the US president.🇬🇷Greek · Born January 15, 1906 · Died March 15, 1975View profile
  13. 13Robert McNamaraRobert McNamaraFormer Ford executive who served as US secretary of defense under Kennedy and Johnson, overseeing the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam.🇺🇸American · Born June 9, 1916 · Died July 6, 2009View profile
  14. 14Ingvar KampradIngvar KampradFounded the flat-pack furniture retailer IKEA as a teenager and built it into the world's largest furniture seller.🇸🇪Swedish · Born March 30, 1926 · Died January 27, 2018View profile
  15. 15Jamsetji TataJamsetji TataFounded the Tata Group, which became India's largest conglomerate, and laid the foundations of the steel city of Jamshedpur.British Empire · Born March 3, 1839 · Died May 19, 1904View profile
  16. 16Florentino PérezFlorentino PérezConstruction magnate who, as Real Madrid president, launched the Galácticos policy and oversaw several European Cup victories.Cerrillo · Born March 8, 1947View profile
  17. 17Cosimo de' MediciCosimo de' MediciFlorentine banker who built the Medici bank into a powerhouse and quietly governed Florence as its leading citizen.Florence · Born September 27, 1389 · Died August 1, 1464View profile
  18. 18Ferruccio LamborghiniFerruccio LamborghiniTractor manufacturer who founded Automobili Lamborghini in 1964 to rival Ferrari with high-performance grand tourers.🇮🇹Italian · Born April 28, 1916 · Died February 20, 1993View profile
  19. 19Bernard ArnaultBernard ArnaultChairman and chief executive of LVMH, which he built into the world's largest luxury goods group.🇫🇷French · Born March 5, 1949View profile
  20. 20Tim CookTim CookSucceeded Steve Jobs as Apple's chief executive in 2011, leading the company through the launch of the Apple Watch.🇺🇸American · Born November 1, 1960View profile
  21. 21William BoeingWilliam BoeingAviation pioneer who founded the Pacific Airplane Company in 1916, renamed Boeing the following year, and became a major aircraft manufacturer.🇺🇸American · Born October 1, 1881 · Died September 28, 1956View profile
  22. 22Steve BallmerSteve BallmerSucceeded Bill Gates as Microsoft's chief executive, running the software giant for fourteen years before later buying the Los Angeles Clippers.🇺🇸American · Born March 24, 1956View profile
  23. 23
    AO
    Amancio OrtegaFounder of Inditex, the fashion group behind Zara, which he built into the world's largest clothing retailer.🇪🇸Spanish · Born March 28, 1936View profile
  24. 24P. T. BarnumP. T. BarnumShowman whose museum, hoaxes and travelling circus shaped popular entertainment, leading to the Barnum & Bailey Circus.🇺🇸American · Born July 5, 1810 · Died April 7, 1891View profile
  25. 25Eddie JordanEddie JordanFounded the Jordan Formula One team, which won four grands prix and gave Michael Schumacher his debut in 1991.🇮🇪Irish · Born March 30, 1948 · Died March 20, 2025View profile
  26. 26Linda McMahonLinda McMahonCo-built World Wrestling Entertainment with her husband, then led the Small Business Administration and later became education secretary.🇺🇸American · Born October 4, 1948View profile
  27. 27Harland SandersHarland SandersFounded Kentucky Fried Chicken and became its white-suited Colonel Sanders figurehead, recognised on restaurants worldwide.🇺🇸American · Born September 9, 1890 · Died December 16, 1980View profile
  28. 28Muhammad YunusMuhammad YunusFounder of Grameen Bank, Nobel Peace laureate for microcredit, later head of Bangladesh's interim government.Bangladeshi · Born June 28, 1940View profile
  29. 29Robert KiyosakiRobert KiyosakiBusinessman and author whose personal finance book Rich Dad Poor Dad spawned a long-running series.🇺🇸American · Born April 8, 1947View profile
  30. 30Frank WilliamsFrank WilliamsFounder of the Williams Formula One team, which won nine constructors' championships under him.🇬🇧British · Born April 16, 1942 · Died November 28, 2021View profile
  31. 31Carlos SlimCarlos SlimMexican telecoms magnate behind Telmex and América Móvil, ranked the world's richest person by Forbes from 2010 to 2013.🇲🇽Mexican · Born January 28, 1940View profile
  32. 32David RockefellerDavid RockefellerBanker who led Chase Manhattan Corporation as chairman and chief executive and was the last surviving grandson of John D. Rockefeller.🇺🇸American · Born June 12, 1915 · Died March 20, 2017View profile
  33. 33
    MG
    Melinda GatesCo-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest charities, after working at Microsoft.United States Navy · Born August 15, 1964View profile
  34. 34João HavelangeJoão HavelangeBrazilian who led FIFA as president from 1974 to 1998, expanding the World Cup to 32 teams.🇧🇷Brazilian · Born May 8, 1916 · Died August 16, 2016View profile
  35. 35J. P. MorganJ. P. MorganBanker who financed the creation of U.S. Steel and helped steady the American financial system during the Panic of 1907.🇺🇸American · Born April 17, 1837 · Died March 31, 1913View profile
  36. 36Andrew CarnegieAndrew CarnegieIndustrialist who built Carnegie Steel and then gave away much of his fortune, funding thousands of public libraries.Scottish-American · Born November 25, 1835 · Died August 11, 1919View profile
  37. 37Hugh HefnerHugh HefnerFounded Playboy magazine in 1953 and built it into a publishing and lifestyle empire centred on the Playboy Mansion.🇺🇸American · Born April 9, 1926 · Died September 27, 2017View profile
  38. 38Larry EllisonLarry EllisonCo-founded the database software firm Oracle and led it as chief executive for nearly four decades.🇺🇸American · Born August 17, 1944View profile
  39. 39Donald Trump Jr.Donald Trump Jr.Businessman who became an executive vice president of the Trump Organization and a prominent campaigner for his father's presidential runs.🇺🇸American · Born December 31, 1977View profile
  40. 40Boris BerezovskyBoris BerezovskyRussian oligarch who fell out with Putin and died in exile in England.🇷🇺Russian · Born January 23, 1946 · Died March 23, 2013View profile
  41. 41Sōichirō HondaSōichirō HondaEngineer who turned a small workshop into Honda Motor Company, building it into a leading maker of motorcycles and cars.🇯🇵Japanese · Born November 17, 1906 · Died August 5, 1991View profile
  42. 42J. Paul GettyJ. Paul GettyOilman who founded Getty Oil and became one of the wealthiest private individuals in the world during the twentieth century.🇺🇸American · Born December 15, 1892 · Died June 6, 1976View profile
  43. 43Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochBuilt News Corporation into a global media empire, including The Sun, The Times, Fox News and Twentieth Century Fox.🇦🇺Australian · Born March 11, 1931View profile
  44. 44Richard BransonRichard BransonFounded the Virgin Group, whose businesses have spanned Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic airline and Virgin Galactic.🇬🇧British · Born July 18, 1950View profile
  45. 45Bernie EcclestoneBernie EcclestoneBusinessman who ran Formula One's commercial rights for decades and turned the championship into a global television spectacle.🇬🇧British · Born October 28, 1930View profile
  46. 46Ray KrocRay KrocBuilt McDonald's from a handful of restaurants into the world's largest fast food chain through his franchising model.🇺🇸American · Born October 5, 1902 · Died January 14, 1984View profile
  47. 47Andrew TateAndrew TateFormer kickboxer turned online influencer, widely criticised for promoting misogynistic views through social media.🇺🇸American · Born December 1, 1986View profile
  48. 48Mukesh AmbaniMukesh AmbaniChairs Reliance Industries, the Indian conglomerate spanning oil refining, telecoms through Jio, and retail.🇮🇳Indian · Born April 19, 1957View profile
  49. 49Mark ZuckerbergMark ZuckerbergCo-founded Facebook while at Harvard and still leads its parent company, Meta Platforms, as chief executive.🇺🇸American · Born May 14, 1984View profile
  50. 50Paul AllenPaul AllenCo-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, then became a major investor and owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers.🇺🇸American · Born January 21, 1953 · Died October 15, 2018View profile

How we rank and select

  • Ranking: people are ordered by their Historical Popularity Index (HPI) from Pantheon. HPI combines how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about a person, how many page views those articles get, how evenly the views are spread across languages and how long ago the person lived. People Pantheon does not yet cover are listed after them, ordered by our own popularity score (the number of Wikipedia language editions with an article about them).
  • Membership: each person appears in one occupation list only, based on their primary occupation as classified by Pantheon (for example, a queen who wrote poetry is listed as royalty, not as a writer). Kings, queens, emperors, sultans and royal consorts are not listed as politicians or writers: anyone who held a monarch's office on Wikidata, and never served as a president or head of government, counts as royalty. For the few people Pantheon does not cover, we use the primary field recorded in our database.
  • One-line summaries: each summary is an original line written for this site with AI assistance under our editorial rules, then checked against the Wikipedia introduction so no wording is copied.
  • Statistics: every figure on this page is calculated live from our database each time the page loads, so it changes as we add people.

Further reading

Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.

Last reviewed: October 2026

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