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Year in Review 2023: Top 5 most searched international business leaders on Yahoo Singapore
Politicians and billionaires dominated this year's list of Yahoo Singapore's most searched international business leaders.
SINGAPORE – A Formula One titan, a sidelined politician, and a few billionaires sent netizens in Singapore into a frenzy this year. Among the list of most searched international business leaders in Singapore are those who made history while some found themselves caught up in speculation and rumours.
Here are the top five most searched international business leaders on Yahoo Singapore:
5. Jean Todt
Jean Todt is a legend in the world of motorsports. The 77-year-old titan was director of racing for Peugeot Talbot Sport for 11 years and led Scuderia Ferrari for 15 years as general manager, then CEO and subsequently special advisor. In 2009, he was elected as the ninth president of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) where he served three terms.
He sent keyboards clacking and thumbs thumping when he married long-time fiance, actress Michelle Yeoh in July after a 19-year engagement.
Yeoh made history in 2023 as the first Asian actor to win an Academy Award in the Best Actress category. In past interviews, the pair have credited Formula One driver Michael Schumacher for playing cupid after he introduced the two.
4. Li Keqiang
Li Keqiang was China's former premier whose sudden death in October set conspiracy theories spreading like wildfire.
The 68-year-old was known to advocate for private economy and foreign investment during his years in office. In the country's complicated political history and rivalries, Li seemed to be a strong contender to succeed former president Hu Jintao but was edged out by Xi Jinping.
According to official reports, the politician suffered a heart attack while vacationing in Shanghai, despite appearing to be in good health just two months prior.
Also read: Year in Review 2023: Top 10 most searched stocks on Yahoo in Singapore
Also read: Year in Review 2023: Yahoo's top 5 most-searched Singapore business leaders
3. Pita Limjaroenrat
Pita Limjaroenrat is the 43-year-old former leader of Thailand's Move Forward Party. Prior to joining politics in 2019, he served as co-founder and managing director of CEO Agrifood Co Ltd, a company he inherited from his father, and Executive Director for Grab Thailand.
He made headlines in May when his party took the lead in the country's national elections, setting him on the road to becoming Prime Minister—the country's youngest in 77 years. However, the Harvard alum was blocked from taking office due to a legal case and then subsequently suspended from parliament. In September, he resigned as the party leader to make way for a successor.
2. Bruce Rockowitz
Bruce Rockowitz is a Canadian billionaire businessman who co-founded the Pure Group fitness chain and is director of tech consultancy firm Step Digital Group. But this year, he is more famously known as the estranged husband of the late singer-songwriter and actress CoCo Lee, who died by suicide in July.
The two married in 2011 and at the time of her death, several outlets reported that the couple have been separated for two years and were about to finalise their divorce. Lee suffered from depression and rumours circulated that it was Rockowitz's alleged affair in 2017 that ultimately put a strain on her mental health.
1. Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes the crown as the most searched international business leader of 2023 in Singapore. The eccentric 52-year-old has been consistently making waves through the several companies he owns, including X (formerly known as Twitter), Tesla, and SpaceX.
In terms of wealth, Musk currently holds top spot in Forbes' 2023 list of 400 Richest People in America with his estimated US$251 billion net worth.
What has he been up to this year? To name a few, X faced numerous policy changes and employee cuts and Tesla was heavily criticised for its Cybertruck release delay and inflated price tag. Musk's private life was also in the spotlight when he was sued by Grimes, the mother of three of his 10 living children, for parental rights.
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