We’re proud to unveil this year’s most influential people in business! The Symbol Powerlist for 2026 features exceptional business professionals from all over the world. Decided entirely by the business community through open nominations and voting, only a selection of 100 professionals make it to the main list, with an additional selection featured across several expertise-based lists.  

2026 powerlist stats & facts  

Some 2500 individuals from 80+ countries were nominated for the 2026 Symbol Powerlist of the 100 most influential people in business. 

• The top 3 countries represented in the powerlist include the US with 25 individuals, followed by the UK with 13, and Australia with 8. 
• Spain and Brazil share the top 4 spot with 6 each, while India rounds out the top 5 with 5 representatives on the list. 
• Some of the most notable brands and organizations whose employees made the list include L'Oréal, Diageo, Volkswagen, Ogilvy, VML, Adobe, McCann, Deloitte, DDB, Cvent, and Sodexo. 

Recognition by expertise 

In addition to the overall Symbol Powerlist, we are also announcing the most deserving professionals in the following powerlist subsets by expertise:

• The 100 most influential people in creative communication
• The 100 most influential people in customer excellence
• The 100 most influential people in employer branding
• The 100 most influential business innovators
• The 100 most influential sustainability and impact leaders
• The 100 most influential business leaders

These lists reflect Symbol Awards’ commitment to better and broader recognition of diverse business expertise.  

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More opportunities for recognition  

And if you believe that your work is exceptional and deserves global recognition, registration for Symbol Awards 2026 is still open. Enter now and change your categories later. 

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