Yahoo Finance Tim Cook, Mario Draghi Lead Annual List of 'World's Greatest Leaders'
The chief executive of a giant corporation, the head of China's Communist Party and a U.S. teen pop idol all appear on 2015's version of Fortune's annual list of the "World's Greatest Leaders" published Thursday.
Geoff Colvin, senior editor at Fortune and author of "Talent Is "Overrated," wrote that the list of 50 is composed of "singular leaders with vision who moved others to act as well, and who brought their followers with them on a shared quest."
Number one on this year's annual Fortune list is Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).
Besides earning about $100 million in total compensation last year, Cook helped push Apple stock to all-time highs. "By announcing that he is gay, Cook also has become a global role model," Fortune said.
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Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, got the number two slot for efforts to "hold together the Eurozone."
Fortune's number-three slot goes to China's President Xi Jinping. "He has fired, fined, or jailed a quarter of a million cadres in a corruption purge and cracked down on dissidents, while strengthening the rule of law," Fortune said.
Pope Francis slipped from Fortune's number-one spot in 2014, to the word's fourth-greatest this year. But Fortune continues to admire his shake-up of the Roman Catholic Church.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the fifth greatest for making India "more business-friendly and addressing violence against women, improving sanitation," and other attributes.
Donating His Wealth
According to the outlet, Cook will also donate his entire fortune to philanthropy after paying for his nephew's college education. The executive's net worth is estimated to be $120 million, plus an additional $665 million worth of restricted stock.
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