The Most Influential Management Gurus in the World

CK Prahalad

“The Thinkers 50” biennial poll of the most influential business people in the world is topped by WRI board member C.K. Prahalad. The recognition speaks volumes about business-led approaches to sustainability around the world.

Prahalad’s work on harnessing the power of markets and capitalism to help the poor has been one of the driving intellectual forces of WRI’s NextBillion.net web site and blog since 2002, when he co-published an article titled The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. He also reviewed the recent WRI/IFC publication, The Next 4 Billion: Market Size and Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid.

Bill Gates and Alan Greenspan round out the top three.

Prahalad is not the only person affiliated with WRI to make the list. Another WRI board member, Al Gore, comes in at number 41. Jeff Immelt, honored at WRI’s 25th anniversary for his commitment to sustainable development, is number 31.