Fortune Publishes Annual List of 'World's Greatest Leaders'

The chief executive of a giant corporation, the head of China's Communist Party and a U.S. teen pop idol all appear on 2015's version of Fortune's annual list of the "World's Greatest Leaders" published Thursday. http://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/ Geoff Colvin, senior editor at Fortune and author of "Talent Is "Overrated," wrote that the list of 50 is composed of "singular leaders with vision who moved others to act as well, and who brought their followers with them on a shared quest." http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/worlds-greatest-leaders/ Number one on this year's annual Fortune list is Timothy D. Cook, chief executive of Apple Inc.

. Besides earning about $100 million in total compensation last year, Cook helped push Apple stock to all-time highs. "By announcing that he is gay, Cook also has become a global role model," Fortune said. Mario Draghi, as president of the European Central Bank got the number two slot for efforts to "hold together the Eurozone." Fortune's number-three slot goes to China's President Xi Jinping. "He has fired, fined, or jailed a quarter of a million cadres" in a corruption purge and cracked down on dissidents, while strengthening the rule of law," Fortune said. Pope Francis slipped from Fortune's number-one spot in 2014, to the word's fourth-greatest this year. But Fortune continues to admire his shake-up of the Roman Catholic Church. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the fifth greatest for making India "more business-friendly and addressing violence against women, improving sanitation," and other attributes. Taylor Swift was named the sixth greatest world leader by becoming "the highest-paid woman in the music business" and for her commercial spat with Spotify, "embracing corporate sponsorship, and securing dozens of trademarks." One step down from Swift, Joanne Liu, head of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, made Fortune's list for efforts to fight Ebola in West Africa. Coming in at number eight, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., who "commands universal respect," according to Fortune. Number Nine is Mary Bara, chief executive of General Motors Co.

for her role in the auto makers massive recalls and efforts to "transform the automaker's sclerotic culture." Coming in at number 10 this year is Joshua Wong, an activist in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. The 18-year-old "galvanized crowds with his nonviolent protest message," Fortune said.