Five global business leaders will select three winners. Then each will invite one winner into their working life for a week. This is more than a judging panel: it is a commitment to a genuine exchange of perspectives.
Kenneth leads Lidl, which operates 30,000 stores across 36 countries and employs around 450,000 people worldwide. Approximately 6.8 billion customer visits annually make it one of the world’s largest supermarket chains.
Mike leads Novo, the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy. It produces half the world’s insulin and supplies medicines in around 170 countries. Its pioneering GLP-1 treatments have transformed diabetes and obesity care.
Bill leads Standard Chartered, one of the world’s largest banks, with more than 80,000 employees and nearly US$1 trillion in total assets.
Lubna chairs The Olayan Group’s Corporate Board, helping guide a global portfolio that includes New York’s landmark 550 Madison Avenue, London’s Knightsbridge Estate and more than 30 regional companies, as well as regional representation of Burger King, Kimberly-Clark and The Coca-Cola Company.
André has been CEO of Intertek, the worlds leading quality assurance company with 50,000 employees since 2015. He previously served as Group CEO of Inchcape, Chairman and CEO of Euro Disney, and President of Burger King International.
We look beyond polished presentations and impressive titles. The jury wants to understand your thinking, your contribution and the evidence behind it.
| Dimension | What we want to understand | Evidence you might share |
|---|---|---|
| 01Problem insight | Did you notice a need or problem others overlooked? | Research, user insights or a clear analysis of the problem. |
| 02Originality | Did you bring a genuinely different idea, approach or connection? | Alternatives considered and your specific contribution. |
| 03Implementation | Did you turn intent into action—and adapt when things went wrong? | Milestones, experiments, adoption or operational results. |
| 04Commercial judgement | Do you understand value, costs, incentives and what makes an idea sustainable? | Customer insights, budget choices or a viable funding model. |
| 05Impact in context | What changed, given the resources and opportunities you had? | Before-and-after outcomes, constraints and your role. |
| 06Collaborative leadership | Can you build trust, share responsibility and help others contribute? | Peer accounts, team results or how you handled disagreement. |
| 07Responsible courage | Can you challenge convention without ignoring the consequences? | A difficult decision, options weighed and what changed. |
| 08Learning agility | Can you admit you were wrong and change course? | A mistake, the lesson and the improvement that followed. |
| 09Intercultural effectiveness | Can you listen and work thoughtfully across different cultures and disciplines? | Examples of adapting, including others and bridging differences. |
| 10Integrity and accountability | Will you tell the truth about results, recognise others and own your decisions? | References, ethical choices and transparent reporting. |
Applications are open worldwide to people aged 18–29. Whether you’re a student, researcher, employee, founder or independent practitioner, you’re welcome to apply.
You don’t need a university degree, a company of your own or a minimum revenue figure. You do need to show us something real: an idea you’ve acted on, a problem you’ve helped solve, or a project, organisation or community initiative you’ve made better.
We’re interested in original thinking, practical achievement, commercial judgement and the ability to bring others with you. Tell us what you did, what changed, what you learned—and who helped make it possible.
