13 recent leadership stories – from President Obama to Pope Benedict

Most, if not all of you can easily recall coming across an article in a newspaper or magazine, listening to a news story on the radio or watching a panel discussion among experts in a TV program relating to the issues of leaders elected or appointed to a specific leadership position ranging from politics and the financial world to religion and religious institutions.

This article summarizes some of the most spectacular leadership stories during the years 2012 and 2013 – from Barack Obama to Pope Benedict XVI and former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. Let’s take a look at what was going on.

A glimpse at recent political, financial and religious events

Barack Obama

On Sunday, January 20, 2013, as the Constitution of the United States of America foresees, Mr Barack Obama, having won the National elections held in November 2012, was sworn in during a brief White House ceremony as the 44^th President of the USA to serve his second four year term in office. The open air ceremony with the participation of thousands of members of the broader public took place 24 hours later on Monday, January 21^st.

Xi Jinpin

In November 2012, Mr Xi Jinpin was appointed to the post of Secretary-General of China’s Communist party and he was also elected to the Office of President of his country on Thursday March 15, 2013. That same day the National Peoples’ Congress of China, in addition to the election of the country’s President, went on to elect the country’s Premier as well as vice-premiers and various other State Ministers and Councillors.

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI, the 265^th Pope, in a move that took not only the Catholics but world opinion by surprise, announced his resignation from his papal throne. The last Pope to resign from Papacy while still alive was Gregory the XII, six centuries ago in 1415 during the Catholic Church’s great Schism. On Tuesday, March 13, 2013 the College of Catholic Cardinals elected the Jesuit Cardinal of Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the 266^th Pope. The newly elected Pope, as tradition dictates, decided to assume for himself a name that none of the previous 265 Popes had elected, becoming ‘Francis the 1^st’  (signifying, as he said in his first sermon, his interest for the poor as St Francis of Assisi had shown during his lifetime).

Justin Welby

On Thursday 21^st of March 2013, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham, was sworn in as the 105^th Archbishop of Canterbury and Head of the Anglican Church succeeding the previous Archbishop, the most Reverend Dr Rowan Williams, who resigned from the post after served as Archbishop for the last 10 years.

Francois Hollande

In May 2012 Mr Francois Hollande, having won the French National elections, succeeded Mr Nicolas Sarkozy as President of France.

Vladimir Putin

In May 2012 Mr Vladimir Putin, having won the national elections held earlier in 2012, took office as the President of Russia to serve for a 6-year presidential term.

Angela Merkel

In 2013, Frau Angela Merkel, the current Chancellor of Germany, became the undisputed leader among the 27 leaders of the 27 member-states of the European Union.

Kim Jong-Un

In communist ruled People’s Republic of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un was appointed Supreme Leader of the country following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il a few days before the end of 2011. He was bestowed with the titles of ‘Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army’ on December 30^th 2011 and elected to the newly formed post of ‘The First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea’ on 11 April 2012. On July 18, 2012 he was declared Marshall in the Korean Army consolidating his supremacy in the Korean Armed Forces.

Mark Carney

In November 2012, the Bank of England broke a tradition adhered to for almost four centuries since its inception, announcing that the post of Governor, from which the incumbent Sir Mervyn King stepped down in July 2013, would be filled by Mr Mark Carney, a Canadian citizen serving until he assumed his new duties as Governor of the Central Bank of Canada.

Robert Diamond

In the summer of 2012, Mr Robert Diamond resigned from his post as Barclay Banks’ CEO under mounting pressure relating to the so called ‘Libor Scandal’ involving several British and world banks who were accused for ‘fixing Libor rates’. These interbank rates affect millions of small firms and homeowners. It is already well known that the Banks involved have been fined and paid billions of dollars by US and British regulatory agencies.

Margaret Thatcher

During April 2013 Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the first and up to now only female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who served for 3 consecutive terms (1979-1990), passed away and was provided with a full honour military funeral comparable to that given to Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

On April 30, 2013, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands signed the necessary official documents abdicating her throne after 33 years of what has been described as a successful period of Royal leadership. She became Princess Beatrix and handed over the Kingdom to her eldest son Prince Willem-Alexander who became Europe’s youngest Monarch. The new King, as it turned out, is the first Man on the Throne since King Willem III, who died in 1890 and was succeeded for a century by Queens.

Sir Alex Ferguson

In the world of Sports, in May 2013 Sir Alex Ferguson, a man acclaimed as the world’s most successful manager and ‘leader’ of his team, surprisingly resigned from his post after having served as manager of the Manchester United football team for almost 27 years.

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