Ann Lopez Named 2025 Business Leader of the Year by Inc. Magazine

This year, for the first time, Inc. Magazine selected 40 extraordinary leaders from across the country for its 2025 Best in Business: Business Leader of the Year awards. These honorees represent the CEOs, founders, and visionaries who not only grew their companies but strengthened their teams, transformed their industries, and led with purpose.

We are honored to share that our Founder & Creative Director, Ann Lopez, was one of the 40 leaders selected! To be selected by Inc. alongside of these incredible executives is nothing short of a an honor. Ann was interviewed and shares her heart around what this means and offers some words of wisdom - don't miss it in the video above!

How the Selection Process Works

Inc.’s editors and research team reviewed thousands of nominations from across the U.S. and chose leaders who demonstrated:

• Exceptional execution

• Values-driven leadership

• Team and culture development

• Strategic resilience

• Measurable organizational impact

Only 40 leaders were chosen nationwide, making this one of the most selective recognitions Inc. awards.

Among this year’s honorees:

• Jen Rubio, Co-Founder & CEO of Away

• Todd Graves, Founder and Owner of Raising Cane's

• Greg Brockman, Co-Founder of OpenAI

• Alexandr Wang, Founder & CEO of Scale AI

• Claire Knebl, Co-Founder of Studs

• Joon Silverstein, the CMO of Coach

• Derrick Fung, Founder & CEO of Drop

• Jonah Reider, Founder of Poppy’s

• Jenni Kayne, Founder of Jenni Kayne

  
  

To be recognized alongside leaders shaping the future of business, technology, hospitality, retail, and innovation is an incredible honor and a moment of deep gratitude for our entire team.

Explore the Full List

The full list can be found on www.inc.com/best-in-business and in the upcoming winter print edition of Inc. magazine.

About Inc.  

Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.