Fortune magazine has ranked Danish businessman Lars Froggaard Jørgensen, CEO of the Danish company Novo Nordisk, 29th on its new list of the 100 most powerful business leaders in the world. This recognition comes after the company's remarkable success in developing innovative treatments for diabetes and obesity, which have garnered global attention.
Success and expansion in global markets
In its brief overview of Jorgensen, the magazine highlighted the significant impact of its diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss drug Wegovy, as well as Novo Nordisk's impressive sales growth of 301 TP3T over the past year. The magazine explained that this performance reflects the company's ability to innovate and expand into global markets.
The only Dane on the list
Jorgensen is the only Dane to make it onto this list, beating out prominent rivals such as David Ricks, CEO of rival Eli Lilly, who came in at number 31. Tesla CEO Elon Musk topped the list, followed by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in second place.
Business celebrities on the list
In addition to Jorgensen, the list included other Scandinavian names such as Daniel Ek, founder of the Swedish company Spotify, who came in at number 37, and Nikolai Tangen, CEO of the Norwegian oil fund. Other leaders on the list included Tim Cook of Apple at number 6, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, at number 11, and Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, at number 22.
Limited female representation on the list
Despite the diversity of the list, only 17 women were included. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, topped the list as the most influential among them.
Selection criteria
The list highlights several factors for evaluating leaders, including the size of the companies they run, their capacity for innovation, their global impact, and their desire to effect positive change. Launched for the first time by Fortune magazine, this list is considered one of the most prominent indicators of leadership performance across various sectors.
A milestone in the company's history
The inclusion of Jorgensen on this list marks a significant moment that reflects Novo Nordisk’s position as one of the world’s leading companies, especially in light of the growing challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry.
