AGE: 43 OCCUPATION: Dean, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago

Eleven months after this Indian-born former Stanford associate dean took over in January 2011, Booth toppled Northwestern’s Kellogg School from the number one spot on Bloomberg Businessweek’s list of the best MBA programs—a position Kellogg had held for 20 consecutive years. Kumar, who manages an annual $227 million budget, has his eye on expanding the global presence of the school beyond existing campuses in London and Singapore.

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Photograph: Carlos Javier Ortiz/Chicago Tribune