It’s easy to live in a bubble and forget that the rest of the world exists. With the emerging global market becoming more powerful every day, however, it is not a good idea to limit your knowledge to the major players who operate in your own backyard. In fact, that could be what keeps you from getting ahead. Here are some of the world’s movers and shakers that you need to know about.
Ehsan Bayat Afghan business mogul. Ehsan was born in Ghanzi, earned his collegiate degrees stateside and then moved back to Afghanistan after the Taliban had been defeated there. He is the founder of the Afghan Wireless Communication Company and, if It weren’t for him, the Ariana Television Network wouldn’t exist. He made headlines recently when the Foundation he founded with his wife, Fatema, unveiled its plans to launch a Beautify Afghanistan campaign in 2013.
Prince Alwaleed (Al-Waleed bin Talal) was named the Persian Gulf’s most efficient boss in a survey done by Arabian Business magazine. A member of the Saudi royal family, he is the brains and governing force behind Kingdom Holding Company. He has a personal net worth of around eighteen billion dollars and has been deemed the most influential Arab in the world. A graduate of Menlo College, the Prince is the reason that Citicorp didn’t go under in the 1990s (he bailed them out by investing 550 million dollars in the company). At the end of 2011 he invested $300 million dollars in Twitter, which gives him around a three percent share in the company.
Ratan Tata was named one of CNN’s most influential Asian business leaders in 2011. A recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, Tata studied at both Cornell and Harvard University. Currently he is the chairman of the Tata Group and was the brains behind the Tata Group’s takeover of Corus, the British steel maker, which elevated the Tata Group to the fifth largest steel producer in the world. Though he is set for retirement at the end of the year, he’s still considered the most powerful CEO in India.
These are just a few members of the global business community that you need about. Remember, there is a whole planet full of people inventing things, building things and furthering the world of business. The buck doesn’t stop at your own country’s door (as much as you might sometimes want to believe that it does).
