Last year's position : Not Placed

After a fall from the power 50 last time, the man behind the easyGroup empire of businesses, most notably budget airline easyJet, is rewarded for continued innovation and his insistence on proving the internet is the place to conduct business. One panellist said there are better businesses in specific areas in which he operates, only for another to counter: "But what he has done is spread the internet model and try it in different areas."

easyJet alone sells around one million airline tickets per month via the internet and his position as one of Europe's top entrepreneurs rests on embracing technology.