The Covid-19 pandemic has reached almost every country in the world leaving national economies and businesses counting the cost. The last two years can only be marked as the years of global economic slowdown that saw stagnation of stock markets and consumer activities. There have been major disruptions to industrial production, falling commodity prices, financial market volatility, and rising insecurity. The world is still recovering from the economic and financial shock posted by the crisis. However, the burgeoning vaccination programs provide the global business landscape with a ray of hope.

Despite the depth of recession during the past year, owing to the vaccination programs, the global economy is slowly entering 2022 in a healthier condition after

surprisingly swift pandemic recovery. It is set for another year of above potential recovery growth in 2022, after expanding by a robust 5.1 percent in 2021.

As goes the saying, every cloud has a silver lining. The pandemic has accelerated many of the businesses that look primed to carry us into the future with a technological bent. The Global Survey on digital strategy indicates that one year into the crisis has increased the pace of business digital transformation and their technological capabilities. Businesses all over the world are rethinking the role of digital technology in their overall business strategy that would link them to better economic outcomes. Also, the collaboration of Government's measurable plans with entrepreneurs has become a centre piece for building a national vision that includes roles, responsibilities and expectations for every stakeholder in the society.

Many global leaders have seen the pandemic not as a threat but an opportunity and are striking a delicate balance between quick decisions and a human centric approach as the best response to a global disruption. We think it's the perfect time to come up with a special annual issue titled ‘Business Leaders of the Year ­ 2021'. We have cured this list via deliberations of a panel of professionals, comprising industry veterans and subject matter experts, CMOs, CEOs, analysts, and CEO Insight's editorial team.