Masai Ujiri
The president of Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, can boast of a success story that speaks to the winning formula of patience and paying your dues. Although he was never quite a successful player, the Nigerian-born had an eye for the best basketball players.
He started scouting for an NBA team as an unpaid worker. But this was rewarded in bits until his big break came in 2013 with the Toronto Raptors when he was an executive vice president and general manager.
In 2019, he led Raptors to their first-ever NBA title, counting on his experience as a scout to assemble an unfancied yet resilient team.
Beyonce Carter-Knowles
Beyonce Carter-Knowles is quite easily the most famous person on this list. The singer and actress has earned every bit of recognition and respect over the last two decades.
But what cemented her as a member of this list is Beyonce’s generosity and imagination to produce a music album for 2019’s feature film The Lion King, partnering African talents in a significant majority.
The Lion King, long associated with Africa but only in setting, was successfully connected to its “home” by Beyonce. The musicians and sound engineers she employed will forever be grateful for the opportunity.
