In this excerpt, we compiled a list of the world’s 30 most powerful people in Q4 2020.
We methodically took into consideration several factors in determining the rank of the following public figures. Social-cultural influence, media mentions, digital impact, and monetary assets, are all contributing factors in our list of the world’s most powerful people.
In essence, here are the 30 most powerful people in the world.
30. Daniel Zhang
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: CEO of Alibaba Group
Zhang replaced Jack Ma as the CEO of the Alibaba Group.
He was ranked in 2020 by Time as one of the 100 most influential people. Zhang was educated in finance at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.
29. Zhang Xin
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: CEO of SOHO China
Zhang Xin co-founded the Chinese real estate firm SOHO China in 1995, currently serving as the company’s CEO. Amid the completion of the firm’s earliest projects, Xin has been labeled as the woman who built Beijing, referencing to her many landmark real-estate developments in China’s capital and Shanghai.
Xin is one of the wealthiest female billionaires in the world. She also sits as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
28. Sundar Pichai
Nationality: Indian-American
Occupation: CEO of Alphabet, Inc.
The Indian-based technology executive has been the CEO of Alphabet Inc. since 2015, leading Google during a time of high tension between big tech and government.
Pichai, alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Jeff Bezos are collectively the four biggest tech magnates of the Western world. Pichai also served as a board member at Magic Leap Inc.
27. Bill Gates
Nationality: American
Occupation: Co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation
The American-based business magnate founded and serves as the CEO of Microsoft Corporation.
Born under the name William Gates, he is a pioneer of software and computing, often described as America’s most innovative entrepreneur of all-time.
26. Andrew Bailey
Nationality: British
Occupation: Governor of the Bank of England
Before becoming Britain’s 121st Governor of the Bank of England in 2020, Bailey was a research officer at the London School of Economics.
Bailey is expected to stay put in his capacity until 2028.
25. Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud
Nationality: Saudi
Occupation: Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
As the son of King Salman, the Saudi-based crown prince has become the most prominent member of the Saudi Royal Family and an unusual international public figure.
The crown prince is said to have led numerous diplomatic crises and the perpetration of a Washington Post journalist’s murder.
24. Kim Jong Un
Nationality: North Korean
Occupation: Supreme Leader of North Korea
Kim Jong-un assumed the position of Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2011.
Despite continued tensions between the North and the South after the Korean war, Kim, once named Josef Pwag by Brazilian authorities, has become a popular public figure in the Western world. Kim is also a graduate of Kim Il-sung University.
23. Jerome Powell
Nationality: American
Occupation: Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
Powell is the 16th Chair of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.
Appointed by the 45th President of the U.S. to that capacity, he oversees Federal Reserve Banks and monetary policy. Powell is a right-wing advocate.
22. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Nationality: Ethiopian
Occupation: Director-General of the World Health Organization
At a time of urgency, Ghebreyesus has helped lead the world during COVID-19 as Director-General of the World Health Organization.
Becoming the first African in that role, he was named in Time‘s 100 most influential people of 2020.
21. Kim Jong Yang
Nationality: South Korean
Occupation: President of Interpol
First serving as a police officer for South Korea’s most populous province, Kim Jong Yang rose to become the President of Interpol in 2018.
Yang is tasked with overseeing and implementing the international organization’s policies.
20. Yi Gang
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: Governor of the People’s Bank of China
Since 2018, Gang has served the role of Governor of the People’s Bank of China, perhaps the world’s most valuable central bank.
He studied in China and America, obtaining degrees in economics from Beijing University and the University of Illinois.
19. Narendra Modi
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: Prime Minister of India
Modi became the 14th Prime Minister of India in 2014.
A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he was previously also a Member of Parliament for Varanasi.
18. Jens Stoltenberg
Nationality: Norwegian
Occupation: Secretary-General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Born in Norway, Stoltenberg commands as the 13th Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
NATO, the military alliance with memberships in the Eastern world, is the dominant combat-ready organization in the Western hemisphere.
17. Jim Bridenstine
Nationality: American
Occupation: Administrator of NASA
Bridenstine leads America’s premier agency for space research and aeronautics. As Administrator of NASA, he previously lent his time for military service in the United States Navy and the United States Air Force.
Bridenstine, alongside U.S. Space Force’s John Raymond and aerospace engineer Elon Musk, are collectively the three magnates of space operations in the Western world.
16. António Guterres
Nationality: Portuguese
Occupation: Secretary-General of the United Nations
As part of the Socialist, left-wing party, António Guterres is presently the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, the world’s largest intergovernmental organization.
Guterres previously served a tenure as Prime Minister of Portugal.
15. Christine Lagarde
Nationality: French
Occupation: President of the European Central Bank
Born in the most populous city of France, Christine Lagarde was nominated by the European Council and became the first woman to serve as the President of the European Central Bank. She previously served as chairwoman and managing director of the International Monetary Fund. In the early stages of her life span, Lagarde interned at the U.S. Capitol during the Watergate hearings.
In 2019, the Atlantic Council recognized Lagarde with the Distinguished International Leadership Award; she was also listed as the second most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
14. Jeff Bezos
Nationality: American
Occupation: Founder and CEO of Amazon
In 2020, Bezos was dubbed as perhaps the richest individual in modern world history, nearly rivaling the Rothschild dynasty fortune at their peak. The first centi-billionaire to rank on Forbes, the tech giant mogul also owns the Washington Post.
Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
13. Nancy Pelosi
Nationality: American
Occupation: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Elected as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to hold the capacity in 2007. The Baltimore-born congresswoman, now serving a second term as Speaker, is a pioneer of modern liberalism in the United States and is the face of the Democratic Party.
In 2015, Pelosi was honored with the Order of the Rising Sun established by Japanese Emperor Meiji. As of 2020, Pelosi is the single most powerful woman in America and one of the most important Western political figures in modern history.
12. Jens Weidmann
Nationality: German
Occupation: Chairman of the Board of the Bank for International Settlements
Weidmann is a renowned German economist, having assumed the Chair of the Bank for International Settlements in 2015.
He is also the President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, a German central bank.
11. Felipe VI
Nationality: Spanish
Occupation: King of Spain
Felipe VI’s ascension to the throne in 2014 made him the current monarch and head of state in Spain.
As of 2020, Felipe reigns as the King of Spain.
10. Marillyn Hewson
Nationality: American
Occupation: Chairman of Lockheed Martin
Marillyn Hewson is the chairman of Lockheed Martin, a US-based aerospace and military defense company.
Regarded as the world’s largest defense contractor, Hewson oversees operations associated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Security Agency, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Pentagon, among other governmental agencies.
9. Emmanuel Macron
Nationality: French
Occupation: President of France
In 2017, Macron defeated Marine Le Pen becoming the President of France as part of La République En Marche.
As the youngest president in France’s history, Macron is also one of the most powerful politicians in the world.
8. Pope Francis
Nationality: Argentinian
Occupation: Head of the Catholic Church
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, also known as Pope Francis, was placed as head of the Catholic Church, the first such leader from outside a European nation since Gregory III.
Pope Francis is perhaps the most influential religious public figure in the world. He currently resides in the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
7. Vladimir Putin
Nationality: Russian
Occupation: President of the Russian Federation
Putin, a former FSB director, currently serves as the President of Russia. Born and educated in St. Petersberg, Russia, Putin is considered to be the nation’s most prominent leader since the fall of the Soviet Union.
In recent years, the Russian leader has been accused of meddling in U.S. politics, which he described as psychosis by officials in the highest levels of government. He has also been accused of human rights violations and other violations of international law.
6. Donald Trump
Nationality: American
Occupation: 45th President of the United States
Since his inauguration into office, Trump led one of the most controversial presidential administrations in American history. He is a descendent of Henry J. Heinz.
Often described in the media by his dark tetrad-like traits, the New York-based real estate mogul is expected to step down in 2021 after an election that put the Trump-era into a cessation.
5. Ursula von der Leyen
Nationality: German
Occupation: President of the European Commission
Ursula von der Leyen, married to a member of the von der Leyen noble family, was originally proposed by the European Council to be President of the European Commission. In 2019, she was elected as the commission’s first female president.
Von der Leyen obtained the title Doctor of Medicine in 1991, with her work available in several publications. In 2017, she was honored with the Grand Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania recognition.
4. Queen Elizabeth II
Nationality: British
Occupation: Queen of the United Kingdom, Crown Ruler of 15 Other Commonwealth Realms
Elizabeth II, commonly referred to as ‘Her Majesty The Queen,’ is the longest-reigning monarch in modern history, surpassing Queen Victoria, George III, and James VI. She is the head of state and monarch of the United Kingdom, in addition to more than a dozen other Commonwealth realms, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Pakistan.
Since her coronation in 1953, the Queen has faced an array of controversies, including the Duke of Sussex’s 2005 support of the Nazi regime, Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, and allegations of the Duke of York‘s participation in the raping and trafficking of American children.
3. Emperor Naruhito
Nationality: Japanese
Occupation: Emperor
Emperor Naruhito, also known as the ‘Reigning Emperor,’ is the world’s highest-ranking monarch. Derived from a succession of power that began about 500 years before the purported origination of Jesus of Nazareth, Naruhito serves as the 126th monarch in Japan.
Naruhito was abdicated on April 30th, 2019.
2. Angela Merkel
Nationality: German
Occupation: Scientist, Chancellor of Germany
In 2005, Angela Merkel was elected Chancellor of Germany, becoming the country’s first woman elected for the role. As a politician of impeccable integrity, Merkel was also appointed President of the European Council.
Since her upbringing, she has brought global stability and improved transatlantic economic relations in the Western hemisphere, becoming the face of the European Union. Merkel is one of the most important public figures in modern world history.
Merkel is also a graduate of quantum chemistry and a researcher. In 2021, Merkel, the most powerful woman in the world, is expected to step down.
1. Xi Jinping
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: President of the People’s Republic of China
Born in Beijing, China, Xi is the paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China, becoming one of the nation’s most powerful leaders since its founder Mao Zedong.
Xi’s standing on the world stage has been depicted as authoritarian for advocating internet censorship, mass surveillance, and human rights violations.
In 2018, Chinese congressional members sought and implemented the removal of term limits, asserting an indefinite rule of power in China.
