2. Satoru Iwata
Nintendo


He is surrounded by immensely talented and driven people, such as Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda, any of whom could have laid claim to a position near the top of this list. But what has made Iwata special in 2006 has been his ability to inspire and lead not only great people, but also the rest of us. His achievements are astounding. He is the first boss of Nintendo who is unrelated to the Yamauchi family; the only boss of a major games company who knows how to make games in a practical sense. And he has given us Wii, something new and original and exciting. He has helped to give us The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Of course, at this time, Wii still has much to prove. But it has gotten off to an amazing start. DS must also be recognized and his work in personally bringing the marvellous Brain Age to market is testament to his drive to expand gaming as a market and as an idea. A brilliant man.