SEAN SHERMAN KYLIAN MBAPPÉ NATASHA LYONNE WANJIRA MATHAI JERROD CARMICHAEL + MORE Photograph by Paola Kudacki for TIME
BOB IGER
BOB IGER Steering storytelling BY MARY BARRA
For 100 years, the Walt Disney Co. has entertained, informed, and inspired people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling. Bob Iger has guided the company to success for nearly two decades and is one of the best leaders I know.
There’s a reason Bob remains one of the world’s most admired CEOs. He has led landmark acquisitions, championed culture-defining films, launched innovative distribution platforms, and delivered strong financial results, all while never forgetting the people—the employees and the fans—who make it all possible. His return as CEO in 2022 ushered in a new era of transformation and creative excellence for the most magical company on earth.
His authenticity and pragmatism set him apart. “True authority and true leadership comes from knowing who you are and not pretending to be anything else,” he said. I’ve personally learned so much from his leadership. Barra is the CEO of GM and is on Disney’s board of directors
Andrea Kritcher BREAKTHROUGH SCIENTIST By Alejandro de la Garza
Nuclear fusion could provide limitless clean energy—if scientists can master the tricky physics of smashing hydrogen atoms together. After an August 2021 experiment at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, Calif., just barely failed to generate more energy than was put into it, the facility’s lead laser engineer approached Andrea Kritcher, the principal experimental designer. The engineers had managed to squeeze a bit more energy out of the gigantic lasers that the facility uses to spark the reaction, and it was up to Kritcher to figure out how to use those improvements in service of a dream of generating unlimited, emission-free power. After more work, Kritcher’s insights helped bring about the first-ever controlled fusion ignition in December 2022, a holy grail in physics research that had eluded scientists for decades, and another step on the road to fusion power. Her work is one more example in decades of passionate research from hundreds of scientists, engineers, and technicians that made the fusion breakthrough possible. de la Garza is a TIME staff writer
Monica Simpson FIGHTING FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE By Stacey Abrams
The devastation of the Dobbs decision, which took away the constitutional right to an abortion, came as a shock for millions last summer, but not Monic
