In the year leading into 2026, Ursula von der Leyen stood out as one of the most consequential political leaders shaping Europe’s direction in security, unity, and global influence. As President of the European Commission, she was widely associated with three headline-impact areas that likely drove her inclusion and cover selection:

1) Driving Europe’s biggest defense pivot in decades (“ReArm Europe”)


In early 2025, von der Leyen put forward the “ReArm Europe” initiative—an EU-level framework designed to unlock up to €800 billion in defense-related spending and financing, including €150 billion in EU-backed loans, alongside more fiscal flexibility for member states. The plan was explicitly framed as a response to heightened security threats and the need for Europe to strengthen its own defense capacity while sustaining support for Ukraine.

2) Sustained, structured support for Ukraine through long-horizon EU funding


Beyond emergency packages, the EU moved toward predictable, multi-year assistance architecture via the Ukraine Facility (up to €50 billion for 2024–2027)—a flagship instrument designed to support Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and modernization. As Commission President, von der Leyen has been the most visible political face of this approach in EU messaging and international advocacy...

Mark Carney was positioned as a defining “boss” figure of the year because he moved from global finance leadership into frontline national and international crisis management—and quickly set a clear agenda around economic resilience, geopolitical repositioning, and state capacity.

Over the past year, he:

Became Canada’s prime minister (March 2025) and immediately restructured government priorities, presenting himself as a technocratic crisis manager able to navigate a volatile relationship with the United States and global markets.

Led Canada’s G7 presidency in 2025, hosting the Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis and using the platform to frame Canada’s role in collective security and global economic coordination.

Advanced trade and investment diplomacy, including announcing a landmark trade agreement with Indonesia—Canada’s first bilateral deal with an ASEAN country—signaling a diversification and growth strategy.

Made a headline geopolitical argument on the world stage, with a high-profile address at the World Economic Forum that framed the shift away from a rules-based order and urged coordinated action by “middle powers.”

Moved to deepen strategic economic ties with India, part of a broader trade-pivot narrative reported by Reuters.

Keir Starmer is a BOSS Magazine Face

There are leaders who inherit a country’s reputation — and leaders who rebuild it. Over the past year, Keir Starmer has focused on something quietly radical for modern British politics: making the United Kingdom easier to trust, easier to do business with, and harder to ignore.

Not through slogans, but through deals, defence coordination, and diplomatic “reset” work that aims to turn post-Brexit reality into post-Brexit advantage. In a year marked by geopolitical volatility — war in Europe, a reshaped transatlantic trade landscape, and intensified great-power competition — Starmer’s approach has been to anchor the United Kingdom to three pillars: European security, strategic trade, and credible alliance leadership.

OLGA & ANDREW AZAROV were named “Innovators of the Year” because they created and scaled a franchise-driven model that pioneered a new category—entrepreneurship education for children—and then expanded it into a multi-brand, international system with measurable social and business impact.

1) They pioneered a new market category and turned it into a scalable franchise

Public profiles and franchise materials describe them as founders who helped create the children’s business-education market, transforming an educational concept into a repeatable, partner-friendly franchise format. This kind of category creation is exactly what innovation awards typically reward.

2) They built a multi-brand “innovation portfolio,” not a single product

Their ecosystem is presented as more than one school: sources describe a suite of educational franchises (often referenced as “12 educational franchises”), indicating a structured approach to innovation—R&D → packaging → franchising → international rollout...

The BOSS Magazine cover being dedicated to speakers of Global Business Week 2025 matters because it turns a one-week event into a lasting credibility asset—and it’s also part of the event’s official speaker value proposition (media exposure + featured story), not just a design choice.

Why the cover is dedicated to GBW 2025 speakers

It documents “who shaped the agenda.”
A conference is fleeting; a cover and feature package preserves the people and ideas that defined the year’s business conversation and signals who the organizers consider top-tier voices.

It’s a strategic PR mechanism built into the speaker package.
GBW promotional materials explicitly position a BOSS cover/feature as part of what keynote speakers receive—global recognition, personal-brand strengthening, and media coverage.

It reinforces the event’s status through a media partnership.
When the magazine is listed as a media partner of the event, the cover becomes a “public seal” that the forum is not only networking, but also a media platform that amplifies its leaders internationally.

Strong, determined, and ambitious – Olena Vykhrystiuk, the founder and CEO of Ukrainochka, is a woman who has not only built a successful business but has also shaped an entire philosophy of Ukrainian commerce.

In the heart of Ukraine, a brand was born that redefines traditional commerce. Ukrainochka is not just a delicatessen market – it is a space where culture, traditions, and modern business meet in perfect harmony. But what makes this network truly unique? We set out to learn from the founder herself, Mrs. Olena Vykhrystiuk.