This year, Fortune magazine took a different approach to their annual 40 Under 40 ranking of the most influential young business leaders of 2020. After all, it’s been a year of monumental challenges and change.
This year, the coveted list highlighted 40 influencers in each of Fortune’s five categories: finance, technology, health care, government and politics, and media and entertainment. Unlike other years, no one who appeared on the 2020 list was a repeat from former years.
Five of the seven recognized YPO members shared with CEO Insights one area they are passionate about regarding creating impact in or influencing change in the coming year. Here’s what they told us.
Adar Poonawalla (39), Health Care Category, CEO Serum Institute of India
I am passionate about creating an ecosystem where there is health for all. It should not matter where you are born, in what geography in India or social economic background, everyone should get equal health care and access to vaccines to protect their families against diseases. This is what I am passionate about and this is what I am focusing at the moment on, not just for COVID-19 but for many other diseases also.
Michele Romanow (35), Finance Category, Co-founder and President Clearbanc
I care deeply about getting Canadian founders the capital and the resources they need to grow. The world has changed completely, and the needs of founders have changed. It’s a great time for innovation!
Lily Sarafan (38), Health Care Category, Co-founder and CEO Home Care Assistance
Among the many causes that I hope to advance in the coming year is unlocking the mysteries of the brain-immune-gut axis and, in turn, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration, through our Stanford research initiative, ProjectBIG.com.
Adena Hefets (35), Finance Category, Co-founder and CEO Divvy Homes
In 2020, I’m squarely focused on guiding my company, Divvy Homes, through a volatile year. We’re based in California, and between COVID-19 and the wildfires, we’re trying to create some delight in a very strange world. So, this year is just focused on Divvy and personally keeping healthy. As we get closer to 2021, I hope I can further focus on giving back to the local communities in which we operate and impacting government policy.
Yoni Assia (39), Finance Category, Co-founder and CEO e Toro
“Inequality of wealth remains one of the most significant challenges facing humankind. This is why we founded GoodDollar, a nonprofit initiative established to deliver a distributed basic income on a global scale. We want to connect the 1.7 billion people who remain unbanked to the financial world and offer everyone access to basic financial assets. Thanks to blockchain technology, anyone with an internet connection can now have their own digital wallet and hold crypto assets. We hope GoodDollar will serve millions of crypto users, through freely distributing a new form of money that can be used to generate more economic activity. And just as importantly, we are offering a framework for wealth creation and distribution that is sustainable and unites the interests of capital holders and basic income recipients.”
