Then: Entrepreneur and Innovator

Later: President of the mPedigree Network

On a continent where counterfeit drugs take a staggering toll and substandard medications fuel antibiotic resistance, Ghanaian entrepreneur Bright Simons launched mPedigree, a company that helps consumers check the authenticity of medications by a simple text message. Simons credits participation in a 2011 session on health care delivery for inspiring “outsized ambitions” that propelled mPedigree’s expansion into Asia. The company is now active in more than a dozen countries across Africa and Asia. His work earned him a place among Fortune magazine’s 50 World’s Greatest Leaders in 2016, where he ranked just ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.