Page 3 - Forbes India (December 2015)

editor’s note

The annual Forbes list of the world’s most powerful people is a key benchmark of global clout

The Pecking

Order of Power

ower has many dimensions. It is a difficult word
to define, more so when one has to consider
people from across geographies and from various
P disciplines—politics and government, business,
finance, philanthropy, religion and even crime. That is why the
annual Forbes list of the world’s most powerful people is a key
benchmark of global clout, listing some of the most important
political leaders, industrialists and influencers of our times.
To arrive at this year’s list of 73 of the world’s most powerful,
Forbes considered hundreds of potential candidates and
measured them across four key parameters: How many people
they have power over, how much money they control, whether
their power extends across multiple regions, industries or
aspects of life, and how actively they wield that power. These Best,
candidates are then voted upon by a panel of Forbes editors
to reach the final list. Not surprisingly, this year’s power list
comprises many who routinely grab international headlines,
control vast sums of money or wield enormous influence on Sourav MajuMdar
people. It’s a fascinating set. Russian President Vladimir Putin Editor, Forbes India
emerges as the world’s most powerful person for the third sourav.majumdar@network18publishing.com
time in a row, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, @TheSouravM
who’s up three spots from last year to No. 2. Merkel topples
US President Barack Obama, who slips one place to No. 3.
From India’s standpoint, Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
who continues to receive rockstar receptions around the
world, is in the top 10 at No. 9. Despite political challenges
at home, Modi’s power and influence as a political figure of
global stature is on the rise, and his position in this year’s list
is evidence of that clout. The only other Indian in this list of 73
is Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, at No. 36.
Jack Ma, the subject of our cover story and the boss of the
$200 billion Alibaba empire, is at No. 22. Ma’s is a fairytale
rise, from being a schoolteacher to becoming one of the most
powerful internet billionaires in the world. But even as his
empire grows, he has battles to fight: His Taobao online
marketplace is also home to thousands of entrepreneurs who
sell counterfeits of some of the best-known brands in the world.
Ma has to strike a balance between continuing to be a credible
market for the world’s biggest and most respected brands
and staying an icon and a hero to the several small Chinese
business owners whose livelihoods depend on the market he
has created. How Alibaba plays out this balancing act may well
decide the fate of thousands of Chinese and also Ma’s empire.

DECEMBER 11, 2015 FORBES INDIA | 3 3