Thought Leadership Award of 2025
Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary of 2024 edition defines ‘thought’ as “an individual act or product of thinking” and continues to define ‘thinking’ as “using one’s mind to produce thoughts.” Having said that, thought leaders are thinking beings whose ideas affect the thought patterns and actions of others. Thought leadership refers to the position of an organization or an individual as an expert in a specific field. It advocates a novel idea that drives change through empirical evidence and rational argument.
In rapidly evolving markets, revolutionary changes highly depend on leaders who can tackle both internal complexities and build external influence. Thought leaders are at the intersection of these two distinct yet overtly connected areas of the leadership landscape. By excelling in a specific area internally, thought leaders bring change to the external world.
This edition of The CEO Views honors all the incredible thought leaders with the“Thought Leadership Award of 2025” for their expert thoughts and perspectives in bringing some revolutionary change in the business world.
Company
Management
Brief
Andrew Stocks,
Owner & Founder
Andrew feels that being disciplined is the key to success. With a loyal team by his side, he has built Sunshine International, one of the best-kept retirement destinations in Thailand. His thought leadership has provided many retirees with a stable and safe life.
Bruce Friedrich,
President & Founder
As the chief thought leader and relationship-builder at Good Food Institute, Bruce works closely with its global teams and food system stakeholders to accelerate work on alternative protein innovation. With a tapestry of expertise, he has taken GFI to a new height.
Carel van Duuren,
CEO
Carel’s leadership was shaped by his passion for combating global housing crises and the way the building industry works. Depending onthe True Modular Building principle, he built kitchens and established a sister company, Kessel Rental.
Chief Gene Saunders,
Founder & CEO
As a true thought leader, Chief Saunders has been revolutionizing lifesaving services with Project Lifesaver. His extensive experience in military and police services helped him explore the search and rescue area with the locating technology.
Chris Carson,
CEO
Thought leadership under Chris’s guidance at EchoTwin AI has maximized the potential of AI-powered systems. Under his leadership, the company is contributing to the development of smarter and selfhealing cities.
Dario Amodei,
CEO
As the CEO of Anthropic, Dario exemplifies true thought leadership in his approach to directing the company to be a leading AI safety and research company. The collaborative teams of researchers, engineers, policy experts, operators, and business leaders deliver world-class AI systems.
Herma M. Schmitz,
Principal, Consultant
Herma’s leadership approach was influenced by her inherent qualities of being risk-averse, socially intelligent, and knowing how to make money. This inspired her to start her career in mentoring and coaching with the Executive Coaching Group.
Pamela D. Kurt,
Women Empowerment Coach
Pamela’s leadership is directed at women’s empowerment by helping them unlock their full potential. With Best Version of You, she has been supporting women in life fulfillment and transformation on a deeper level.
Yihan Xu,
Vice President
Yihan believes thought leadership means solving real-world problems through the power of thinking and driving progress in the industry. And with Squirrel Ai, she is committed to doing that by leveraging AI to solve real-world problems.
Zeynep Demirbilek,
CEO & Founder
Under Zeynep’s thought leadership, Service Club is recruiting and training delivery drivers to make their delivery journey smoother. Through AI-powered driver matching and immersive VR simulations, the company is equipping drivers with the confidence to succeed.