Across the planet, our 42 licensed editions span six continents, 68 countries and 30 languages. They all share the same mission: celebrating entrepreneurial capitalism in all its forms.
Nicolás García Mayor
Cmax System
ARGENTINA
The subject of Nicolás García Mayor’s undergraduate thesis has become a business exporting temporary housing units to seven countries. With 600,000 orders placed, Cmax System’s easy-to-erect structures have been used for everything from glamping in West Virginia to mobile hospitals in war-torn Ukraine.
AUSTRALIA
Two newcomers appear on the list of Australia’s 50 richest: sisters Alexandra Burt and Leonie Baldock, who together are worth $1.2 billion and rank No. 46. Their Wright Prospecting, the family mining company founded by their late grandfather, announced plans in 2022 for a new iron ore mine in partnership with mining group Rio Tinto in the thinly populated Pilbara region of western Australia.
Australia’s third richest person Harry Triguboff was the cover star of Issue 10.
BRAZIL
“Entrepreneurship is waking up every day, understanding that the world is changing and that we need to change along with this world.”
Diana Jank, a 28-year-old Forbes Brazil 30 Under 30 honoree, who has helped her family’s 79-year-old dairy farm north of São Paulo reposition itself with a type of milk that is easier for humans to digest
Lubo Kirov
Dilyan Markov
BULGARIA
Forbes Bulgaria’s list of top celebrities includes pop musician Lubo Kirov, 51, who generated tour revenue of $830,000 after releasing the country’s top-selling album of 2022. He uses his limelight to advocate for transparency in the entertainment industry, from taxes to ticket sales.
Michelle Xia
Forbes China
CHINA
Michelle Xia fronts Forbes China’s top 100 women in business issue as cofounder and CEO of antibody drug maker Akeso. While the United States dominates the world’s pharmaceutical production, China ranks second—with Akeso accounting for $638 million in revenue in 2023.
Renata Mrázová
Anna Kovačič
CZECH REPUBLIC
Former Facebook executive and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg asked about 40 influential women around the world to write a foreword for her bestseller-to-be in 2013, words to inspire women in a given region. Czech fintech exec Renata Mrázová (pictured) recounts her disbelief at being chosen.
Roque Sevilla
Pavel Calahorrano
ECUADOR
Former Quito mayor Roque Sevilla, 76, employs 4,800 people through 19 entities within his Grupo Futuro holding company, which does about $680 million in annual turnover, led by medical services and insurance provider Salud SA.
Max-Hervé George
Courtesy of the Subject
FRANCE
Last year, France native Max-Hervé George sold his shares of Switzerland-based luxury property developer Ultima Collection, which had landed him on the 30 Under 30 list in 2019. Now he’s at the helm of Icona Capital, which has $8 billion–plus in assets, mostly invested in sustainable real estate.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl
Liz Gregg
GERMANY
The dressage rider to beat this summer is German equestrian Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who won team and solo gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The 38-year-old mother of two has helped revise industry rules about how maternity leave affects a competitor’s eligibility.
GUINEA-BISSAU
Forbes África Lusófona reports on Guinea-Bissau’s greatest export: cashews. The West African nation produces some 200,000 tons of the nut each year, directly or indirectly supporting the vast majority of its 2 million citizens.
Judit Rácz (far left) and Veronika Pistyur (second from left)
Krasznai Zoltán
HUNGARY
Forbes Hungary features 33 self-made women who have built businesses in a variety of sectors, such as Judit Rácz (far left), whose skin care brand has reached about $12 million in annual sales, and Veronika Pistyur (second from left), who cofounded a Budapest-based venture capital fund.
Ajay Singh
AMIT VERMA
INDIA
Ajay Singh has twice pulled budget carrier SpiceJet out of turbulent times. Again in a fragile financial position, the company hopes to raise up to $270 million and purchase Go First, Mumbai’s now-defunct low-cost airline. The December announcement has sent SpiceJet stock skyward.
Ori Keren
More Investment House
ISRAEL
More Investment House partner Ori Keren fronts Forbes Israel’s list of top investment managers, thanks to big returns abroad in 2023 in provident and pension funds, despite war at home. The Israeli firm counts $30 billion in assets under management.
Alberto (right) and Alessandro Morelli
Venezianico
ITALY
Selling roughly 20,000 timepieces, brothers Alberto (right) and Alessandro Morelli exceeded $8 million in 2023 revenue. The pair founded Venetian brand Venezianico in 2017 and have sold watches in more than 100 countries.
Bernard Koné Dossongui
Kevin Couliau for Forbes Afrique
IVORY COAST
Forbes Afrique features Ivorian tycoon Bernard Koné Dossongui, a former government official who formed the Atlantic Group in 1988. The conglomerate did about $675 million in 2023 sales, with 22 companies employing 9,000 people in banking, insurance and more.
Manabu Aizawa
Ko Sasaki
JAPAN
As the face of its Small Giants list, Forbes Japan presents Manabu Aizawa, president of AMCON. Its products are made in Yokohama, Prague and China and are used in 77 countries for plumbing and handling sludge buildup in breweries, meat processing plants and sewage-treatment facilities.
Erlik Balfanbayev
Andrey Lunin
KAZAKHSTAN
A Japanese corporation’s Singapore subsidiary recently bought Alina Group from Kazakh businessman Erlik Balfanbayev, 60, who led the building materials manufacturer to $167 million in 2023 revenue. He plans to put some of the proceeds into his mountain resort near the country’s largest city.
Michał Sołowow
Courtesy of the subject
POLAND
Michał Sołowow, Poland’s richest person (net worth $6.9 billion), is betting on nuclear reactors to deliver the country’s energy future. Otherwise, he says, Poles will pay stiff penalties for continuing to rely on coal or “will have to import electricity at prices that will kill us.”
Hybrid Theory
Courtesy of the Subject
PORTUGAL
A rock group founded in 2017 in the coastal city of Lagos, Portugal, Hybrid Theory is today a well-known Linkin Park tribute band touring as far afield as Australia and India. The group is named after the U.S. band’s debut album from 2000.
ROMANIA
“The spirit of initiative is what makes this country unique.”
Simona Pelin, a Romanian immigrant to the U.S., reflecting on 31 years of working toward the American Dream, having founded businesses in real estate and financial services
Noor Sweid (center)
Forbes Middle East
SAUDI ARABIA
Noor Sweid (center) ranks No. 37 on Forbes Middle East’s list of the 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen. Her Global Ventures venture capital firm, which is based in Dubai with a presence in Nigeria and Egypt, has $300 million in assets under management and focuses on founders in emerging markets.
Pavol Čekan
Vojtěch Veškrna
SLOVAKIA
A new type of breast cancer screening exam created by Bratislava-based MultiplexDX has proven effective for quickly diagnosing and recommending treatment in 48 patients so far. CEO Pavol Čekan hopes to test 100,000 patients yearly by 2030 with annual revenue around $270 million.
Igor Lah
Denis Sadiković/N1
SLOVENIA
Igor Lah, who’s estimated to be one of the country’s wealthiest businessmen and a collector of 800 works of art, owns a glass factory in Slovenia and last year purchased a second plant in Serbia. He has earmarked about $50 million for renovations at the Serbian facility this year.
Forbes Africa
Katlego Mokubyane
SOUTH AFRICA
Bridging the 30 Under 30 and 50 Over 50 lists, Forbes Africa presents an “Over 30 Under 50” women’s issue. “They are just owning their power,” says South African actress and honoree Nomzamo Mbatha (not pictured) of peers reaching their goals in their 30s and 40s. “I’m inspired by that.”
Jin Gun Jung
YOUNGJAE CHOI
SOUTH KOREA
Jin Gun Jung heads Hyoseong Electric, a South Korean manufacturer of motors used in automobile steering, brake, heating and air-conditioning systems. Exports make up 60% of the company’s sales, which reached almost $430 million in 2023.
Macarena Rey
Javier Biosca
SPAIN
Madrid native Macarena Rey leads TV production company Shine Iberia, which brought in $71 million last year with 35 new shows and 1,000 employees across Spain and Portugal. Cooking competition Masterchef has been its biggest hit.
Khanist Srivajiraprabha
Warach Pattayanan
THAILAND
Forbes Thailand calls Khanist Srivajiraprabha the “vanguard of tomorrow’s commercial EVs.” The CEO of Nex Point, which saw 2023 revenue of $270 million from manufacturing electric buses and trucks, predicts EVs will replace their gas-powered counterparts in Southeast Asia within three years.
Sergii Koretskyi
Anton Zabielskyi for Forbes Ukraine
UKRAINE
The country’s largest oil company, Ukrnafta, saw record profit of $650 million in 2023—its first year under full government control. The state had taken possession of the company from minority private shareholders following concerns about corruption in late 2022 and has put WOG gas stations’ former CEO Sergii Koretskyi in charge. Forbes Ukraine analyzes his approach to effective public administration.
Julio María Sanguinetti
Nicolás Garrido
URUGUAY
Polls favor Uruguay’s left-wing coalition in the country’s presidential election in October. Liberal two-time former president Julio María Sanguinetti says the polls “should not even be published, because the result is totally uncertain,” with 15% of respondents undecided.
Cu Van Thanh
Ta Hong Phuc
VIETNAM
Vietcoco did $58 million in export revenue in 2022, reaching 65 countries with products made from domestic coconuts, including water, oil, milk and butter. Cu Van Thanh started the business in 1997 and remains CEO today.
