Time Highlights Different Leaderships: the 5 Most Influential Latinos of 2022

It has already become customary that year after year the American magazine Time publishes its list "Time 100: Most Influential People", in order to promote people who in one way or another have the potential to generate ideas that change significantly the society. For this 2022, such list has 5 Latinos, whose different profiles show the versatility that exists in our region and the commitment they have to carry out their purposes.

The selection process is based on choosing, through the editors of Time, those people who have had an excellent year regardless of the area to which they belong, but above all who have great power of influence. Once the 100 have been chosen, we proceed to look for other figures of equal relevance so that they make the descriptions of each one. It is worth mentioning that according to each profile, the list is divided into six categories: Artists, Innovators, Titans, Leaders, Icons and Pioneers.

Representing Latin America, the five profiles show different contexts and types of leadership, something that Time has greatly wanted to highlight. From a young president with a fresh vision of government, through an innovative banker in the financial industry, to three women whose social struggles have placed their countries in the spotlight. Who are those 5 most influential Latinos of 2022?

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Sonia Guajajara

The indigenous leader of Brazil stands out as one of the most influential pioneers of 2022. Time has recognized the effort she has been making to defend indigenous rights in the country and for this she has fought and resisted like no other. In 2018, she became the first indigenous woman to be a candidate for the vice presidency of Brazil, being part of the Socialism and Freedom Party. Today, she works as Executive Coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil whose purpose is to prevent the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous territories.

«Sonia resisted and continues to resist today: against machismo, as a woman and a feminist; against the massacre of indigenous peoples, as an activist; and against neoliberalism, as a socialist. It is an inspiration to millions of Brazilians who dream of a country that pays off its debts to its past and finally welcomes the future," Brazilian politician and coordinator of the Homeless Workers' Movement, Guilherme Boulos, wrote in Time.

Cristina Villarreal Velásquez and Ana Cristina González Vélez

The work of the Colombian women has been so successful that they have become an example to follow in the world. They are part of the group of most influential pioneers of 2022 and it has been thanks to their contribution and struggle with the movement called "Causa Justa", which managed to get the Colombian Constitutional Congress to approve abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation. Both activists are the inspiration for millions more people to join the defense of women's sexual and reproductive rights.

“What Ana Cristina and Cristina have done is remarkable. They empowered women in Poland, where abortion laws are among the strictest in Europe. That sense of international solidarity is crucial because there are so many countries where it is difficult for women to stand up and fight," Ailbhe Smyth, an Irish LGBTQ activist who fights for the same cause, described in Time.

Gabriel Boric

At 36 years of age, he became the youngest president in the history of Chile, and it is precisely this youth that is giving the country a change of course. Boric's vision is to seek alternatives to the right-wing policies that have been lived in recent decades, and for this, he has made the economy more competitive with certain changes that range from fiscal responsibility, through environmental protection, to social inclusion. His leadership, without a doubt, has been one of the most influential in Latin America.

“Boric will need all the skills he has already demonstrated: listening and communication, empathy, and a deep understanding of Chilean history and culture. He is making Chile again the world's social, economic and political laboratory," Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz said of him in Time magazine.

David Vélez

Among the most influential innovators of 2022 for Time is this Colombian banker. His recognition comes hand in hand with a vision that has paid off financially, as he is the co-creator of the Nubank digital banking platform. This institution is the largest in the world of its kind and has helped millions of Latin Americans thanks to all the benefits that its system provides, such as the ease of investing in businesses around the world or the affordable cost of credit cards.

“Nubank's successful listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 was evidence that Vélez's pioneering idea to focus on access is transforming the global financial industry. The company now leads a new generation of Colombians who dream big. David Vélez challenged the status quo and today the world recognizes his work," said the president of Colombia, Iván Duque, in Time.