Top 10 Blockchain Influencers influencing your block

Ginni (Virginia Marie "Ginni" Rometty) is the inspiring CEO of IBM, as well as the first woman to ever head the company. Before she took on this deeply important role, she was responsible for negotiating IBM's purchase of PricewaterhouseCoopers IT consulting business back in 2002. Now as the CEO, her role in the blockchain world has become more crucial than ever.

IBM currently champions their diversity with a female-led blockchain team, which sits in direct opposition to most other blockchain businesses. The team allows women opportunities to earn leadership roles and fight against stigmas of women in the tech industry. And as if this weren't enough, IBM's alliance with Maersk has meant a revolutionary launch of a global blockchain shipping supply chain. Is it really any wonder why Ginni is number 1 on our list?

David was the founder and CEO of Zong, which was later acquired by PayPal and subsequently made him president for three years. But since then he has concentrated his efforts in his newest role, leading the new blockchain research unit on Facebook. After four years of leading the Messenger app decision, David has set up a new challenge for himself, trying to understand how this new system of currencies can be leveraged across Facebook.

His specialties include mobile, payments, consumer internet and technology in general, all of which surround blockchain in quite important ways. So it's no wonder that David has been called upon to take on this responsibility, it seems like there's only one guy up for the job!

Laura is a highly influential crypto/blockchain journalist whose ideas and wisdom are closely followed by nearly one hundred thousand Twitter followers. Her passion for reporting on the changing world of cryptocurrency leads to wildly interesting stories that keep us all updated and in the know about how currency is symbolically changing forever.

Graduating from Stanford university, Laura was a freelance writer for nearly ten years, then moving onto become the senior editor of LearnVest, the features editor of CBS interactive and later the senior editor of Forbes. Lauded by her peers, Laura is focused on not just the relevant stories of crypto, but the direction these stories are taking humanity in.

Don is on the world's leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society, and as one of the leading authorities, he naturally has an astoundingly impressive list of achievements under his belt, including 16 books he has authored, one of which has been translated into over 25 languages.

Don is a chancellor at Trent University, the CEO of the Tapscott Group and the co-founder and executive chairman of the Blockchain Research Institute. The latter is a think-tank working with governments and industry leaders to provide the right insights and examinations of blockchain applications. So outside of his time writing theory and history of blockchain, Don is in the front line, helping people wrestle with this incredibly complex but exciting new form of currency.

Ed is the VP principal architect at Cloud Technology Partners, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company that leads the way in end-to-end cloud adoption. Outside of keeping his head 'in the cloud', Ed also contributes articles on blockchain regularly to Cloud Technology Partners' publication, 'The Doppler'.

Many of Ed's articles help people understand the future of blockchain as well as its current state, which is crucial for a system of currency that is ever-changing.

Bet you've never seen a father and son show up on the same top 10. Or maybe you have, we don't know your life. Alex is a globally-recognised speaker, investor and advisor on all things blockchain, as well as other emerging technologies that are impacting business, society and the environment. With his father, Don, he co-authored 'Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money, Business and the World'.

His work and wisdom has been shared and featured in TIME, Fortune, Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Toronto Star, the Glove and Mail, as well as dozens of other publications. Last year he and his father co-founded the Blockchain Research Institute, giving them the chance to make their help as practical as it is instructional.

Barry is the founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group, building, incubating and seeding bitcoin and blockchain technology-related companies. As a company leading a bitcoin brokerage firm, Genesis Trading, and the largest digital currency asset management firm around, Grayscale Investments, Barry has to be a type of double or triple CEO that we imagine is not easy or low in stress. However, he seems to manage quite well, with $2 billion in assets under management for Grayscale.

Prior to his success with DCG, Barry was the founder and CEO of SecondMarket, a venture-backed technology company that was later acquired by Nasdaq. All his work as an entrepreneur got him numerous awards and accolades, as well as being named Entrepreneur of the Year by both Ernst & Young and Crain's.

Oliver is a research director for the Tapscott's project, Blockchain Research Institute, while also the president and co-founder of the Crypto Valley Association and the founder and CEO of Bussmann Advisory AG. At the CVA, which is based in Zürich, Switzerland, Oliver is in chage of developing one of the world's best ecosystems for blockchain and other cryptographic technologies and businesses.

As a leading fintech influencers as well, Oliver is using his powers for the good of Switzerland, trying to transform it into a blockchain hub where innovation and efficiency can meet and generate progress. To see how he intends to do this, look no further than here.

Ryan is responsible for leading ACI Enterprises, Inc. global business and technology strategy as its Global CIO. Overlooking a multidisciplinary technology staff, Ryan has to stay on his toes and be pragmatic and resourceful with his approach to all things tech.

Ryan is deeply interested in the rise of blockchain in identity management, understanding that cybersecurity threats are not only on the rise but becoming more sophisticated, encouraging blockchain technology to invest in upgrading identity management and keep startups safe. To see more on his thoughts about this, check out our podcasts.

The CTO of TIBCO Software, Nelson is a strong technology evangelist, specialising in areas of messaging, micro-services, integration, event-driven architectures and event processing. As the CTO, he manages a global team of people focused on blockchain, business process management and streaming analytics.

Nelson works with strategic customers to identify where TIBCO can expand their talents and abilities, reaching new ways of assisting people with blockchain and cryptocurrency.