Dangote joins Bill Gates in top 25 businessmen’s chart

Barely a week after he was ranked among the 100 most influential personalities in the world by  Time Magazine, leading business broadcast organisation, CNBC has ranked foremost entrepreneur and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote as one of the 25 people who have had the most profound impact on business and finance worldwide.

Forbes had earlier named him as the second most powerful black man, coming only after United States President, Barack Obama and the 64th most powerful person in the world.

CNBC ranked Dangote as 23rd among the first 25 people who have impacted the business world most since 1989, the year organisation went live on air. In the list, Steve Jobs led the pack followed by world richest man, Bill Gates. “They have disrupted industries, sparked change and exercised an influence far beyond their own companies,” the medium said. The South Africa based broadcast medium added: “As CNBC embarks on its second quarter-century, it faces a world completely altered from when it started.

“Then, the Dow was below 2,400, Wal-Mart didn’t make the list of America’s 500 largest companies and there was no World Wide Web. Only four U.S. companies had annual revenue of more than $50 billion.

“Today there are more than 50, including upstarts such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google. No dictionary contained the words “e-commerce” or “app.” A blog was still archaic slang for a servant boy.

“It described the 25 men and women from different parts of the world and across different industries as people who had “for better or worse, been the rebels, icons and leaders in the vanguard of that change.”

“The list:Here is our ranked list of the 25 people we judge to have had the most profound impact on business and finance since 1989, the year CNBC went live. They have disrupted industries, sparked change and exercised an influence far beyond their own companies.As CNBC embarks on its second quarter-century, it faces a world completely altered from when it started. Then, the Dow was below 2,400, Wal-Mart didn’t make the list of America’s 500 largest companies and there was no World Wide Web. Only four U.S. companies had annual revenue of more than $50 billion. Today there are more than 50, including upstarts such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google. No dictionary contained the words “e-commerce” or “app.” A blog was still archaic slang for a servant boy.The 25 men and women listed below—from different parts of the world and across different industries—have, for better or worse, been the rebels, icons and leaders in the vanguard of that change.