THE MOST influential people of 2023 Personalities who make an impact on the world

They hold prestigious positions in all walks of life, have commanding personalities, and are no strangers to success. Their faces are featured on the front pages of international magazines and newspapers, and their decisions, actions and statements are immediately reflected in the media. They are the most influential people of 2023.

From the world of politics, cinema, fashion, business, media and royalty, their names are associated with leadership, power, personality, innovation and the future.

On marrying Prince William in 2011, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton became a member of the British Royal Family. She has a very active agenda, mainly focused on social issues related to children, mental health and the arts. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in 2023 she is expected to increase her agenda as Princess of Wales.

Margot Elise Robbie is an Australian actress and film producer. Her roles in series and films have earned her rave reviews and multiple nominations at the BAFTA Awards, the SAG Awards and the Satellite Awards, as well as an Oscar nomination for Bombshell. In 2023, she intends to develop her production business further.

Ana Celia de Armas, born in Havana, is a Cuban-Spanish actress. She began her career at the age of 16, and after moving to Los Angeles, she launched her international career. Today she has achieved great success, both on the big screen and in the world of advertising. Her latest performance, as Marilyn Monroe in the film Blonde, has received unanimous critical acclaim.

Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman is an American actress, singer, dancer and model. Named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022, she has been awarded two Emmys, and stands out for her philanthropic work supporting different causes and charities. Dune: Part2 will be released in October 2023.

The businesswoman Marta Ortega Pérez has been president of the Inditex group since 2022, although since 2007 she has held different positions in different departments of the company, which has granted her an excellent global vision of the business. Forbes attributes a net worth of around 75 million euros to the businesswoman, who likes to lead a private life far removed from the media spotlight.

Isabel Natividad Díaz Ayuso is the president of the Community of Madrid, and has also been the president of the Partido Popular of the Community of Madrid since May 2022. Despite her position, she continues to live in the neighbourhood of Chamberí, where she was born and grew up. She will lead the Madrid PP in the next elections to the Assembly of Madrid, to be held next May.

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon is an American film and television actress and producer. She is one of the few actresses who can boast of having won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has also starred in major advertising campaigns, and is active in the Avon Products Foundation to fight breast cancer and domestic violence.

MELINDA GATES- ENTREPRENEUR

Melinda French Gates is a successful American businesswoman. A graduate of Duke University with a degree in computer science and economics, she was married to Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates, but separated from him in 2021. Despite this fact, they both continue to be active in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, working on projects related to health, education and support for children in need. In addition, Melinda has contributed to denouncing sexism and the dramatic imbalance in pay and power in the Silicon Valley technology industry.

JENNIFER LOPEZ- ACTRESS, SINGER, PRODUCER

Jennifer Lynn Affleck is an American actress, singer, dancer, producer, designer and entrepreneur of Puerto Rican descent. After a successful career in the cinema, and having sold over 50 million records in the US alone, she currently has several ongoing businesses, including clothing lines, fragrances, and a film and television production company. She is also a regular contributor to humanitarian work, and foresees a successful 2023 alongside her husband, Ben Affleck.

LEONOR OF BOURBON- PRINCESS OF ASTURIAS

Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, the current Princess of Asturias and first in line to the Spanish throne as the first-born daughter of King Felipe II and Queen Letizia, holds the title of Honorary President of the Princess of Asturias Foundation and the Princess of Girona Foundation. Her growing institutional agenda, which she combines with her International Baccalaureate studies at the British boarding school UWC Atlantic College, has made her one of the most influential young women on the international scene.

Oprah Winfrey is an American broadcaster, journalist, producer, editor, actress, businesswoman and book critic. She is a multiple Emmy Award winner for The Oprah Winfrey Show, the most-watched show on American television, and has appeared in the rankings of the world’s most powerful women for more than a decade. Winfrey holds the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the US, and has become one of the best-known activists in the MeToo movement against sexual harassment, which she herself suffered as a child.

Kimberly Noel Kardashian is an American model and businesswoman. She has been making headlines and front pages all over the world since she debuted on a television show with her family in 2007. Since then she has had a glittering career in the fashion world and has been a guest on the most successful TV shows, becoming one of the best-known businesswomen in the world. Her cosmetics brand, KKW Beauty, is valued at one billion dollars.

The most influential men of 2023 come from all walks of life. From royals to leading entrepreneurs, from technology CEOs to actors and leading business personalities. Inspiring individuals who, thanks to their drive and personality, are giving shape to the future they once dreamed of.

Charles Philip Arthur George was crowned King of the United Kingdom on September 8th 2022, when he acceded to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He is also sovereign of the fifteen realms that make up the Commonwealth of Nations. After the death of his first wife, Diana Spencer, he married Camilla Parker-Bowles, now Queen consort. His interests encompass social, environmental and humanitarian causes, which distinguishes him in his position.

William Arthur Philip Louis is the first-born son of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, making him first in line to the British throne. A geography graduate from the University of St Andrews with a military background, he is married to Kate Middleton and has three children. He is characterised by his unwavering commitment to his role in the British royal family, in contrast to his brother Harry, who after marrying Meghan Markle, renounced his royal title for reasons explained in the documentary Meghan & Harry, released on Netflix.

Bernard Arnault, with an estimated fortune of 177 billion euros, is now the richest man in the world, while his son Antoine has become the favourite to succeed him at LVMH, although Bernard has said on several occasions that his retirement is still a long way off. The Arnaults have doubled their fortune in the last three years, and together they ensure the continuity of the Louis Vuitton group in family hands.

Born in South Africa to a Canadian mother and South-African father, Elon Reeve Musk is an entrepreneur and investor. With one of the world’s largest fortunes, estimated at $188 billion, he is the founder of SpaceX, investor and CEO of Tesla, and founder of The Boring Company, Neuralink and OpenAI, as well as the current owner of Twitter. The world is eagerly awaiting his next steps in the social network and artificial intelligence world, while Musk focuses his philanthropic vocation on work related to science education, children’s health and clean energy.

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, American programmer and entrepreneur, is widely known as the founder of the social network Facebook, renamed Meta Platforms in 2021. He was the youngest person to appear on Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires, and since 2010 he has been listed, year after year, as one of the richest and most influential people in the world.

Galician businessman Amancio Ortega Gaona was the co-founder, along with his ex-wife Rosalía Mera, of the textile group Inditex, which owns Zara, Spain’s best-known international clothing retailer. With a fortune estimated at more than 71.8 billion dollars, he has received the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and continues to do philanthropic work through the Amancio Ortega Foundation.

King Felipe VI of Spain is the Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Married to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, the Queen consort, he is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Catalan, and has a university and military education. His work and functions as Head of the Spanish State, as well as his dedication to the tasks that his position entails, have earned him unanimous acclaim, both nationally and internationally.

American actor and film producer, William Bradley Pitt, winner of an Oscar and two Golden Globes, has a significant media presence. Pitt recently sold a 60% stake of his production company Plan B Entertainment to French company Mediawan, owned by Pierre-Antoine Capton, which will allow them to jointly dominate the film and TV series market both in Europe and the US.

Costa del Sol - Christie’s International Real Estate was the main sponsor of the “Forbes 11 Gala” at a charity event celebrating the eleventh anniversary of Forbes Czech. Held on 10 November in the city of Prague, in the beautiful St. Agnes Monastery, Nearly 180,000 euros were raised through the auction of leisure activities among 200 selected participants.