« 18. Cardinal Francis George20. J.B. Pritzker » AGE: 68 OCCUPATION: Alderman, 14th Ward One of the last of the old-school Chicago Machine pols, this Hibernian grandee has bodyguards. Yes, he had a bad 2011 when his political son, Gery Chico, finished second to Emanuel. But he’s still finance committee chairman, still has $8 million … Read more
« 16. Garry McCarthy18. Cardinal Francis George » AGE: 55 OCCUPATION: Founder and CEO, Morningstar The first to bring rigorously independent analysis of performance and fees to the world of mutual funds, Mansueto demystified an industry and shifted power to ordinary investors. His resulting riches—his roughly 50 percent stake in Morningstar is worth about $1.5 … Read more
« 15. Miles White17. Joe Mansueto » AGE: 52 OCCUPATION: Superintendent, Chicago Police Department The city’s top cop sets the agenda for crime fighting—and he has not been shy about exercising his influence. Within months of ditching Newark last August, he made good on his promise of change, shifting 1,000 officers from desk jobs to … Read more
« 14. Jerry Reinsdorf16. Garry McCarthy » AGE: 56 OCCUPATION: Chairman and CEO, Abbott Laboratories Like Irene Rosenfeld (No. 12), White would have landed higher on our list had he not recently bowed to pressure from investors and announced he’ll snap his huge company in two. By the end of 2012, he’ll run Abbott’s $22 … Read more
« 13. Toni Preckwinkle15. Miles White » AGE: 76 OCCUPATION: Chairman, Chicago Bulls and White Sox; co-owner, United Center Arguably the most masterful negotiator the sports world has ever seen, Reinsdorf opened a restaurant adjacent to his publicly funded ballpark last year and handed taxpayers a $3.5 million bill. Meanwhile, over the past two years, … Read more
« 12. Irene Rosenfeld14. Jerry Reinsdorf » AGE: 64 OCCUPATION: President, Cook County Board of Commissioners If Rahm gets bored with the mayor’s office, there may be no better successor than this formidable, unsentimental former alderman. She has reformed Cook County government by firing Todd Stroger’s cronies, rolling back a portion of his one-cent sales … Read more
« 10. Eric Lefkofsky12. Irene Rosenfeld » AGE: 31 OCCUPATION: Cofounder and CEO, Groupon Seizing on the power of collective buying via daily deals on the Internet may seem obvious now. But it’s from Mason’s brain that the multibillion-dollar idea sprang. The Northwestern grad, who cofounded Groupon four years ago with mentor and former employer … Read more
« 11. Andrew Mason13. Toni Preckwinkle » AGE: 58 OCCUPATION: Chairman and CEO, Kraft Last year Fortune named this mac-and-cheese lover the single most powerful woman in American business. But Rosenfeld’s August decision to split Kraft into two companies—a $32 billion global snacks maker that she’ll helm and a slower-growing $16 billion North American grocery … Read more
« 99. Bill Daley AGE: 69 OCCUPATION: Founder, Sleep Medicine Center at Children’s Memorial Hospital The author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child—the bible for bleary-eyed new parents now in its third edition—still works as a pediatrician on the Gold Coast. Getting an infant to sleep through the night? Now that’s power. MORE ON WEISSBLUTH: … Read more
« 9. Grant Achatz11. Andrew Mason » AGE: 42 OCCUPATION: Cofounder and chairman, Groupon; tech investor If you listen to the skeptics, Groupon’s business is bound to slow; the deals are crummy; the stock is going nowhere. But let’s not forget that Lefkofsky and cofounders Andrew Mason (No. 11) and Brad Keywell (No. 21) pulled … Read more
