During times when businesses are going down or filing for bankruptcies, steadiness and stability are among some of the significant virtues that can help a company head run with efficiency. In spirit of the very same qualities, Harvard Business Review’s annual ranking of 100 best performing CEOs has named Pablo Isla, CEO of Spanish fashion giant Inditex, on the No.1 spot.
Isla, whose global retail empire includes Zara, Stradivarius, Bershka and Massimo Dutti, has topped the ranking for the second year in a row. He is followed by Bernard Arnault from French luxury conglomerate LVMH and François-Henri Pinault from Kering.
Four other fashion CEOs have also appeared on this year’s list. While Nike CEO Mark Parker has taken the 14th place, Tadashi Yanai, CEO of Fast Retailing, the Japanese company behind casual brand Uniqlo, scored the 35th spot on the list. Blake Nordstrom from Nordstrom came 62nd. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos managed to get the 68th place.
Measuring the financial returns, environmental, social and governance performance, the list highlighted that “steadiness and stability” are significant virtues in turbulent times. “They face an array of outside forces—savvy competitors, demanding customers, profit-hungry investors, political and economic headwinds. Nonetheless, their companies have shown a remarkable ability to sustain momentum,” Harvard Business Review said in a statement.
