Sonia Cheng
The Rosewood brand was founded in 1979, but it isn’t until recent years that it’s really carved out a position for itself – no easy feat in this competitive luxury market. Since Sonia took over the brand in 2011, the third-generation, Harvard-educated heiress of the owning family grew the portfolio by 50 percent while cementing the brand as hip luxury addresses for affluent explorers. Even with an impressive portfolio like the Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris and The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, this young, sharp CEO is as humble as they come.