The new masters of the universe

Make way for the “youth”!

Compiling the list of winners is still a subjective process. Like many other things, the pandemic also appears to have precipitated a certain transfer of power in the economic sphere. This new effect is an important criterion in this award.

Some of the big names that consistently dominate economic rankings have been left out for simple reasons. For example: Warren Buffett, aka the Oracle of Omaha, has become increasingly contested. Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates have poured tens of billions of dollars into supporting multiple causes through their foundation, but they are hardly “new” influencers.

and Canada?

If there is one constant on the economic planet, it is the weight of Canada: it is negligible. This does not mean that the Canadian economy is not working, but on the contrary: the main economic indicators testify to this. But taken individually, Canadians have very little influence on the course of macroeconomic events.

Its major corporate giants are banks, oil companies, and telecoms companies, and they are medium-sized at best on a global scale. Shopify is now number two in the world in e-commerce after Amazon, but its founder and CEO Tobias Lütke is still no more annoying than Jeff Bezos. Co-founder and CEO of Couche-Tard, Alain Bouchard, could be the most influential Quebec businessman on the planet…if only that role excites him.

And what about women?

Why are there no more women in this order than the “masters” of the universe? This does not mean that no one is at the helm of large corporations or conglomerates. Just think of businesswoman Mary Barra, who in 2014 took over the leadership of the US automaker General Motors – becoming the first woman to lead a major auto company. There is also the French billionaire Françoise Bettencourt-Myers, the head of L’Oréal, or the wealthy American philanthropist Julia Koch.

However, it is clear that on the economic and financial planet, men continue to impose themselves. Quick look at the list 50 richest people in the world From Forbes reveals that only about a quarter of the ranking is made up of women. and between the Top 50 most profitable companies in the world ? There are only three leaders: China’s Jessica Tan Sin-yin, co-CEO of Ping An Insurance Group, American Jen Fraser, president of Citi, and Karen S. Lynch, of CVS Health. In short, there is still a long way to go.