Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

    Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
  • King, Saudi Arabia
  • Age: 89
  • Residence: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Country of Citizenship: Saudi Arabia
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Children: 22
  • Profile
     Saudi Arabia's aging monarch holds the keys to Islam's two holiest sites and the world's second largest crude oil deposit of some 265 billion barrels, amounting to about 18% of global reserves. The Kingdom boasts a $727 billion GDP, putting it in the top 20 richest countries worldwide.

Ben Bernanke

Ben Bernanke
  • Chairman, Federal Reserve, United States
  • Age: 60
  • Residence: Washington, DC
  • Country of Citizenship: United States
  • Education: Doctorate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Bachelor of Arts / Science, Harvard University
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Children: 2
  • Profile
     Big Ben is stepping down when he term ends in January 2014, and Janet Yellen has been nominated to lead the Fed next year. Bernanke has steered the Fed during some of the biggest financial challenges since the Depression.

Bill Gates

At a Glance
    Bill Gates
  • Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Age: 58
  • Source of Wealth: Microsoft, self-made
  • Residence: Medina, WA
  • Country of Citizenship: United States
  • Education: Drop Out, Harvard University
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Children: 3
Profile
 Bill Gates is the wealthiest man in the U.S. (and the world, for that matter), despite past gifts of more than $28 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He bolstered his foundation's efforts to eradicate polio in April, securing $335 million in pledges to the cause from six billionaire comrades,

Angela Merkel

    Angela Merkel
  • Chancellor, Germany
  • Age: 59
  • Residence: Berlin, Germany
  • Country of Citizenship: Germany
  • Education: Master of Science, Leipzig University; Doctorate, Leipzig University
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Profile
     The world's most powerful woman is the backbone of the 27-member European Union and carries the fate of the euro on her shoulders.

Pope Francis

    Pope Francis
  • Pope, Roman Catholic Church
  • Age: 77
  • Residence: Vatican City, Vatican City State
  • Country of Citizenship: Argentina
  • Profile
     The March 2013 election of Pope Francis has breathed new energy into the world's largest religion with 1.2 billion followers. The first Jesuit and Latin American Bishop of Rome preaches compassion for the poor and a greater role for women while signaling the church to quiet its focus on "only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptives