43 Don Thompson Age: 50 Occupation: CEO, McDonald’s Last year, the CEO of one of America’s most powerful companies was still in his honeymoon phase. Now he’s being pelted with questions about everything from why the company’s stock price is in the doldrums (it has barely budged over the past 12 months) to why he … Read more
44 Cardinal Francis George Age: 77 Occupation: Archbishop of Chicago Vatican watchers are in a tizzy trying to guess whom Pope Francis will name to succeed Chicago’s conservative cardinal (insiders say a decision is due by the end of 2014). In December, George celebrated a high point—his 50th anniversary in the priesthood—surrounded by six cardinals, … Read more
46 David Axelrod Age: 59 Occupation: Director, University of Chicago Institute of Politics Another year removed from the 2012 presidential campaign, the former Obama guru slips 36 spots on the list. But he’s still the go-to guy for the country’s most powerful Dems seeking political advice (including Obama), and he has the ear of both … Read more
49 Douglas Druick Age: 68 Occupation: President, Art Institute of Chicago Last year’s Picasso and Chicago drew the largest daily crowds the museum had seen in a decade. This chief’s next sure-to-be slam dunk? The forthcoming René Magritte show, opening this June. Photo: Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune
51 Patricia Hemingway Hall Age: 61 Occupation: CEO, Health Care Service Corp. When the earth shifts beneath an entire industry—as it did last year for the health care system—you might appreciate the fact that your insurer’s CEO started her career as an intensive care nurse. As the head of the operating company for Blue Cross … Read more
52 Lisa Madigan Age: 47 Occupation: Attorney General, State of Illinois The governorship was supposed to be hers for the taking. But after a summer of waffling and apparent conflict with her father, the speaker of the Illinois House (No. 2), Madigan bowed out in July. That didn’t sit well with her funders, who donated … Read more
53 Frederick Waddell Age: 60 Occupation: Chairman and CEO, Northern Trust The chief of Chicago’s largest hometown bank isn’t one to sit back and relax: Over the past year and a half, he has met with more than 1,800 managers, who oversee 14,800 employees worldwide, in offices as far away as Riyadh and Frankfurt. In … Read more
54 Barbara Byrd-Bennett Age: 63 Occupation: CEO, Chicago Public Schools Presiding over the biggest public school closure in Chicago’s history, Byrd-Bennett gained a measure of respect from education reform onlookers for at least standing firm on the decision to rip off the Band-Aid in order to close the $1 billion gap in the CPS budget. … Read more
56 Martin Nesbitt Age: 51 Occupation: Cofounder, Vistria Group This trusted Obama pal is the guy who introduced the future president to Penny Pritzker, Nesbitt’s longtime partner in a lucrative parking business and a key fundraiser in 2008. Now this entrepreneur and venture capitalist will vet locations for the Obama library, a multimillion-dollar project that’s long … Read more
57 Robert Zimmer Age: 66 Occupation: President, University of Chicago The rebirth of Hyde Park owes a lot to the empire-building instincts of Zimmer, who last year committed $1.5 billion to a raft of new construction and cut the ribbon on a 240-bed hospital. However, in January, Moody’s and the S&P lowered their outlooks on U. … Read more
