Age: 51
Occupation: CEO, Apple
Steve Jobs may be the hardest act to follow in business history. But it's difficult to imagine anyone who could have gotten off to a stronger start than Cook has. Since he became Apple's CEO in August 2011, the iPhone 4S and the new iPad have become massive hits and the company's profits and market capitalization have set records. For a legendarily secretive company, Cook's Apple is being surprisingly open in its response to the controversy over employee welfare at its partners' Chinese manufacturing plants.