Haute 100: New York City

The most influential people in the world’s most powerful city

Jeff Immelt
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: General Electric
INDUSTRY: Business
What Makes Him HAUTE: He replaced fellow Haute 100 member Jack Welch as General Electric’s CEO in 2001. According to Forbes, GE has grown into the world’s second largest company, a multibillion-dollar conglomerate with more than 300,000 employees across the globe. Since then, Immelt has been named number one in Barrons’ list of World’s Best CEOs three times.

Marc Jacobs
CATEGORY: Designers
COMPANY: Marc Jacobs
INDUSTRY: Fashion
What Makes Him HAUTE: He’s in charge of four powerhouse fashion labels: The Marc Jacobs Collection, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Little Marc, and Louis Vuitton (he’s their creative director), but this NYC born designer doesn’t seem overwhelmed. Instead, the Marc Jacobs empire continues to expand, first with the launch of its e-commerce store at marcjacobs.com, and then with Bookmarc, a chic new bookstore on the corner of Bleecker and W. 11th Street. Jacobs also launched a photography book entitled The Men and Women of Marc Jacobs, which documents employees of his eponymous fashion brand, from which a percentage of proceeds will go towards charity. In 2010 Jacobs was also listed by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Woody Johnson
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: Johnson Company, Inc.
INDUSTRY: Finance
What Makes Him HAUTE: He’s the heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, and now serves as chairman and CEO of the Johnson Company.  He also owns the New York Jets, which over the past ten years he has taken significant steps to rebuild the team. Johnson is frequently cited as a devoted philanthropist, creating the Alliance for Lupus Research and is a strong supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Paul Tudor Jones II
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Tudor Investment Corporation
INDUSTRY: Finance
What Makes Him HAUTE: He’s a self-made hedge fund billionaire who founded Tudor Investment Corp. thirty years ago. One of his earliest achievements was back in 1987 when he predicted “Black Monday,” an event that allowed him to triple his earnings. Since then Jones has been an active philanthropist; he founded the NYC poverty-fighting group the Robin Hood Foundation, which in 2007 raised $70 million at a single banquet. He also formed another victorious foundation called the One to One Charitable Fund, which is said to have raised more than $125 million total for disadvantaged children.

Donna Karan
CATEGORY: Designers
COMPANY: DKNY
INDUSTRY: Fashion
What Makes Her HAUTE: Donna Karan launched her infamous fashion brand back in 1985 with her line of practical clothing for women. Twenty-five years later, Donna Karan Inc. now also includes the Donna Karan lines and the younger DKNY line, along with accessories, eyewear, intimates, fragrances, home collections, and more. A native of Long Island, Karan has always maintained that the city of New York will remain an influence in all of her designs.

David Koch
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Koch Industries
INDUSTRY: Manufacturing, Finance
What Makes Him HAUTE: His estimated net worth is $17.5 billion, stemming from the success of Koch Industries, a privately owned energy conglomerate whose subsidiaries include Georgia Pacific, the maker of Brawny paper towels, and Invista, the maker of Stainmaster carpet and Lycra fiber. As of September, Koch had succeeded Michael Bloomberg as the richest man in New York City, making him an obvious choice for our Haute 100 list.

Jeff Koons
CATEGORY: Thinkers
INDUSTRY: Art
What Makes Him HAUTE: Koons is well known in the art industry circuit for his reproduction of everyday objects and American pop-culture icons. His work can be viewed in several famous New York art houses including MoMA, the Whitney Museum, and the Guggenheim. This year, Koons was chosen by BMW to design a car as part of the company’s Art Car series, an honor that has been given to many famed artists of the past, including Andy Warhol. His brightly colored BMW M3 GT2 was introduced in Paris this summer at the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race.

Bruce Kovner
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Caxton Associates
INDUSTRY: Finance
What Makes Him HAUTE: Kovner is founder and chairman of Caxton Associates, one of the world’s top ten hedge funds. The Harvard graduate underwent his first trade back in 1977 for $3,000, and is now worth an estimated $3.5 billion. He was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Advanced Study, which has been home to notable thinkers like Albert Einstein.

Maria-Josée & Henry Kravis
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
INDUSTRY: Finance
What Makes Them HAUTE: They are one of America’s wealthiest families. He co-founded the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR), which currently boasts total assets of approximately $60 billion. She’s a former Canadian newscaster, but now takes an active interest in the NYC community, serving as senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, on the International Advisory Board of the NY Federal Reserve, and is the President of the Museum of Modern Art. Together, the couple is ranked the 25th highest donating individuals, supporting various local and global causes.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Trump Organization / New York Observer
INDUSTRY: Real Estate / Publishing
What Makes Them HAUTE: Ivanka Trump still proves she’s an unstoppable force with her role as Executive VP of Development & Acquisitions at The Trump Organization. In addition to her own jewelry venture, Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, the heiress has plans to launch a footwear line, a handbag collection with Mondani, and an outerwear collection in the next few months. Last year Trump wed husband, Jared Kushner, who is heir to the New York Observer.