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Recognitions as awarded by Thinkers50

Thinkers50 Honorees

Dozens of Stellant Speakers have been recognized by Thinkers50, the independent ranking of management thinkers established in 2001.

More than a third of the roster, recognized for ideas that shape how organizations lead, compete and change.

Read on
Andrew Winston
Andrew Winston
Amy Edmondson
Amy Edmondson
Linda A. Hill
Linda A. Hill
Scott D. Anthony
Scott D. Anthony
Ranjay Gulati
Ranjay Gulati
Erik Brynjolfsson
Erik Brynjolfsson
Spotlights

The voices behind the honors

Five Stellant speakers are in the most recent 2025 Thinkers50 top 10. One has been ranked on every list since 2015.

amy-edmondson-action-shot-25
No. 2, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

Amy Edmondson

Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

Thinkers50 has ranked Amy Edmondson on every list since 2011 and named her the No. 1 management thinker in the world in 2021 and 2023. As the pioneer and champion of psychological safety, she received the 2019 Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award, two years after its Talent Award. Her book Right Kind of Wrong was named one of the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books for 2024.

Cover of Right Kind of WrongRight Kind of WrongThinkers50 Best New Management Books, 2024Full profile
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No. 1, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

Andrew Winston

Ranked No. 1 management thinker, 2025 Thinkers50

Thinkers50 named Andrew Winston to its Radar Class of 2020 as an emerging thinker to watch. With Paul Polman, he developed the concept of net positive: companies that improve the wellbeing of everyone they touch, including the planet, and thrive as a result. The pair joined the Thinkers50 ranking in 2021, rose to No. 3 in 2023 and reached No. 1 in 2025.

Cover of Net PositiveNet PositiveThinkers50 Best New Management Books, 2022Full profile
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No. 4, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

Linda A. Hill

Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Thinkers50 calls Linda Hill a top expert on leadership and innovation and has ranked her on every list since 2011. She received the 2015 Thinkers50 Innovation Award, and Collective Genius, her study of how great leaders empower creativity, was named to its Management Classics list for 2022. Her latest book, Genius at Scale, was named one of the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books for 2026.

Cover of Genius at ScaleGenius at Scalewith Jason Wild and Emily TedardsThinkers50 Best New Management Books, 2026Full profile
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No. 5, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

Scott D. Anthony

Clinical Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

Thinkers50 calls Scott Anthony a leading adviser on innovation and a champion of dual transformation, helping businesses turn disruption into advantage. It presented him with its Innovation Award in 2017 and has ranked him on every list since. His book Epic Disruptions was named one of the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books for 2026.

Cover of Epic DisruptionsEpic DisruptionsThinkers50 Best New Management Books, 2026Full profile
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No. 9, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025 · Thinkers50 Leadership Award, 2025

Ranjay Gulati

Paul R. Lawrence Professor, Harvard Business School

Ranjay Gulati shows that putting purpose at the heart of management delivers game-changing results for companies and society alike. Thinkers50 ranked him in 2023, and in 2025 he entered its top 10 and received its Leadership Award. Both of his recent books made the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books lists: Deep Purpose for 2022 and How to Be Bold for 2026.

Cover of How to Be BoldHow to Be BoldThinkers50 Best New Management Books, 2026Full profile
erik-brynjolfsson-action-shot-03
Six-time Thinkers50 top management thinker · Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, 2015 (with Andrew McAfee)

Erik Brynjolfsson

Stanford Professor; Director, Stanford Digital Economy Lab

In 2014, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee launched into the thought leadership stratosphere with The Second Machine Age, a road map for success in a digital economy. A year later, Thinkers50 presented the pair with its Digital Thinking Award. He has been ranked on every Thinkers50 list since 2015, reaching No. 8 in 2019.

Full profile

Hall of Fame

The Thinkers50 Management Hall of Fame recognizes thinkers whose lifetime's work has had a lasting influence on management.

  • Stew Friedman

    Emeritus Practice Professor of Management, the Wharton School

    Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, 2023

  • Howard Gardner

    John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

    Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, 2013

Thinkers50 Ranking

Published every two years, the Thinkers50 Ranking names the management thinkers whose ideas are shaping business.

2025 Ranking

  • Andrew Winston

    Ranked No. 1 management thinker, 2025 Thinkers50

    No. 1, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025 (with Paul Polman)

  • Amy Edmondson

    Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

    No. 2, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

  • Linda A. Hill

    Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

    No. 4, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

  • Scott D. Anthony

    Clinical Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

    No. 5, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

  • Ranjay Gulati

    Paul R. Lawrence Professor, Harvard Business School

    No. 9, Thinkers50 Ranking, 2025

  • Sinan Aral

    David Austin Professor of Management, MIT

    Thinkers50 top 50, 2025

  • Erik Brynjolfsson

    Stanford Professor; Director, Stanford Digital Economy Lab

    Thinkers50 top 50, 2025

  • Andrew McAfee

    Principal Research Scientist, MIT Sloan School of Management

    Thinkers50 top 50, 2025

  • Geoffrey Parker

    Professor of Engineering Innovation, Dartmouth College

    Thinkers50 top 50, 2025

  • Megan Reitz

    Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

    Thinkers50 top 50, 2025

  • Zeynep Ton

    Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan School of Management

    Thinkers50 top 50, 2025

Previously Ranked

Award Recipients

Presented every two years alongside the Ranking, the Distinguished Achievement Awards honor contributions in specific fields of management.

  • Ranjay Gulati

    Paul R. Lawrence Professor, Harvard Business School

    Thinkers50 Leadership Award, 2025

  • Paul Daugherty

    Former CEO, Accenture Technology Group, and first CTIO

    Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, 2023 (with H. James Wilson)

  • Zeynep Ton

    Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan School of Management

    Thinkers50 Talent Award, 2023

  • Sinan Aral

    David Austin Professor of Management, MIT

    Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, 2021

  • Amy Edmondson

    Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

    Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award, 2019; Talent Award, 2017

  • Geoffrey Parker

    Professor of Engineering Innovation, Dartmouth College

    Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, 2019 (with Marshall Van Alstyne)

  • Marshall Van Alstyne

    Questrom Chair of Information Systems, Boston University

    Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, 2019 (with Geoffrey Parker)

  • Scott D. Anthony

    Clinical Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

    Thinkers50 Innovation Award, 2017

  • Susan David

    Psychologist, Harvard Medical School

    Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award, 2017

  • Hal Gregersen

    Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

    Thinkers50 Leadership Award, 2017

  • Erik Brynjolfsson

    Stanford Professor; Director, Stanford Digital Economy Lab

    Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, 2015 (with Andrew McAfee)

  • Andrew McAfee

    Principal Research Scientist, MIT Sloan School of Management

    Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award, 2015 (with Erik Brynjolfsson)

  • Stew Friedman

    Emeritus Practice Professor of Management, the Wharton School

    Thinkers50 Talent Award, 2015

  • Linda A. Hill

    Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

    Thinkers50 Innovation Award, 2015

Shortlisted for an Award

Up to eight thinkers are shortlisted in each Distinguished Achievement Award category. These honorees have been shortlisted; award recipients appear in the chapter above.

Thinkers50 Radar

Announced each January, the Thinkers50 Radar names 30 thinkers to watch in the year ahead.

Booklists

Thinkers50 booklists are a curated guide to the best books on management.

Watch

Watch the honorees in action

Thinkers50

2023 Thinkers50 Ranking of the Top 10 Management Thinkers of the World | Thinkers50 Awards Gala

  1. Thinkers502023 Thinkers50 Ranking of the Top 10 Management Thinkers of the World | Thinkers50 Awards Gala
  2. Thinkers50Thinkers50 2021 Top 10 Ranking of Management Thinkers | #IdeasWithPurpose
  3. Andrew WinstonThinkers50 Ranking #1 & Most Influential Thinkers of 2025: Paul Polman & Andrew Winston
  4. Andrew WinstonInterview with Andrew Winston, Thinkers50 #1 Ranking of Management Thinkers with Paul Polman
  5. Amy EdmondsonAmy Edmondson: Thinkers50 #1 Ranked Thinker in the World | Thinkers50 Awards Gala 2023
  6. Stew FriedmanThinkers50 Hall of Fame 2023: Stew Friedman
  7. Ranjay GulatiThinkers50 Leadership Award 2025: Ranjay Gulati
  8. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award | Thinkers50 Awards Gala 2023
  9. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Talent Award 2023 | Thinkers50 Awards Gala
  10. Sinan AralThinkers50 2021 Digital Thinking Award: Sinan Aral | #IdeasWithPurpose
  11. Marshall Van AlstyneAccenture Digital Thinking Award Winners Marshall Van Alstyne and Geoff Parker
  12. Scott D. AnthonyScott Anthony's Acceptance Speech - 2017 Thinkers50 Innovation Award
  13. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Leadership Award 2023 in partnership with ExecOnline | Thinkers50 Awards Gala
  14. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Radar Award 2023 sponsored by Deloitte | Thinkers50 Awards Gala
  15. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Ideas into Practice Award 2023 | Thinkers50 Awards Gala
  16. Megan ReitzThinkers50 Awards Gala Co-host: Megan Reitz | Thinkers50 Awards Gala 2023 #ReconnectRethinkReset
  17. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Awards Gala 2021 Day 1 Highlights #IdeasWithPurpose
  18. Matt AbrahamsMastering Communication with Matt Abrahams
  19. Selina NeriDeveloping Future Ready Talent with Selina Neri
  20. Connie HadleyThinkers50 Radar 2024 featuring Connie Hadley
  21. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Radar 2024 featuring Marcus Collins
  22. Amy GalloThinkers50 Radar 2023 LinkedIn Live with Amy Gallo
  23. Azeem AzharThinkers50 2022 Radar LinkedIn Live with Azeem Azhar
  24. Matt BeaneThinkers50 Curated LinkedIn Live with Matt Beane | Learning to Work with Intelligent Machines
  25. David De CremerThinkers50 Curated LinkedIn Live Session with David De Cremer | The Organizational Application of AI
  26. Sandra SucherThinkers50 Curated LinkedIn Live Session with Sandra Sucher and Shalene Gupta
  27. Thinkers50Thinkers50 Curated LinkedIn Live with Ruchika Tulshyan
  28. Nathan FurrThe Upside of Uncertainty | Thinkers50@INSEAD with Nathan Furr & Susannah Harmon Furr
  29. Mark EspositoThinkers50@Hult with Mark Esposito: The Great Remobilization
  30. Gary Pisano‘The Five Paradoxes of Innovative Cultures’ webinar | Gary Pisano, Alessandro Di Fiore, Des Dearlove
  31. Hal GregersenThe power of questions with Pia Lauritzen and Hal Gregersen | Business Ecosystem Alliance
  32. Martin ReevesMaking Sense of Ecosystems with Kaihan Krippendorff and Martin Reeves
  33. Thinkers50Leaders Speak Up: Unlocking Mental Health in the Workplace
  34. Thinkers50Be Your Own Best Friend: Tools to Manage Anxiety, Overwhelm, and the Pressure to Be Perfect
  35. Thinkers50No More Burnout: How to Fight Back, Find Time, and Stop Letting Technology Win
  36. Thinkers50How to Make Work Better for Everyone's Mental Health | Mind Matters
  37. Thinkers50International Women's Day: Tsedal Neeley and Ruchika Tulshyan
  38. Megan ReitzInternational Women's Day: Megan Reitz and Ruchika Tulshyan
  39. Morra Aarons-MeleMorra Aarons-Mele: Anxiety is normal, but the way we hide it is not | The Provocateurs: Episode 16
  40. Thinkers50Marcus Collins: Culture, Connections, and Community | The Provocateurs: Episode 22
  41. Karthik RamannaKarthik Ramanna: Leading in the Age of Outrage | The Provocateurs Podcast Episode 34
  42. Andrew WinstonAndrew Winston: The Courage to be Net Positive | The Provocateurs: Episode 27

About Thinkers50 recognition

Founded in 2001 by Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove, Thinkers50 identifies, ranks and shares leading ideas in management. The recognitions on this page:

Recognitions are awarded independently by Thinkers50.

More about Thinkers50
Thinkers50 Ranking
published every two years, ranking the management thinkers whose ideas are shaping business.
Distinguished Achievement Awards
presented every two years alongside the Ranking, in categories such as strategy, innovation and leadership, with up to eight thinkers shortlisted in each category.
Thinkers50 Radar
an annual list of 30 emerging thinkers, announced each January.
Management Hall of Fame
recognizes thinkers whose lifetime's work has had a lasting influence on management.
Booklists
the annual Best New Management Books list and the Management Classics list of enduring titles.

Honorees A to Z

All 69 Stellant speakers recognized by Thinkers50, in alphabetical order by last name.

Inquiries

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