Crain's Notable Leaders recognizes and celebrates outstanding leaders across industries.

From large corporations to grassroots nonprofits, these individuals are driving innovation and impact in fields such as construction, law, real estate, and finance, while promoting environmental sustainability, diversity, equity, and community engagement. Selected through a peer nomination and editorial review process, our profiles showcase each honoree's commitment to advancing their industries and communities. 

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Nominate yourself or a peer for the 2025 class: 

• Click here to nominate
• Notable Litigators & Trial Attorneys recognizes senior leaders with 10 years of experience who demonstrate involvement in significant litigation and trial proceedings.
• Nomination deadline: January, 17 2025
• Criteria: 
  • Must demonstrate involvement in significant litigation and trial proceedings, providing specific examples and descriptions 
  • Must currently serve in a senior leadership role at their firm 
  • Must be in the profession for a minimum of 10 years 
  • Should serve as a mentor and/or promote equity and inclusivity in the workplace 
  • Demonstrate leadership  in outside professional, industry-related or civic/community organizations

• Click here to nominate
• Notable LGBTQ+ Leaders recognizes LGBTQ+ business leaders across industries. Among those eligible are senior leaders who demonstrate a significant impact on their organization or industry.
• Nomination deadline: March 14, 2025
• Criteria: 
  • Must currently serve in a senior leadership role at their firm or organization
  • Must be in the profession for a minimum of 7 years 
  • Must demonstrate significant impact to their organization or industry, providing specific examples or descriptions 
  • Should serve as a mentor and/or promote equity and inclusivity in the workplace 
  • Should hold a leadership position in outside professional, industry-related or civic/community organizations 

• Nominations closed
• About: Notable Leaders in Finance recognizes executives leading the industry in our community. Among those eligible include, but are not limited to, leaders serving in a senior leadership role at investment banks, commercial banks, institutional money managers (including private equity and venture capital firms), exchanges, trading firms, institutional asset owners, or corporate finance departments.  
• Nomination deadline: May 2, 2025

• Nominations closed
• About: Notable M&A Dealmakers recognizes dealmakers who are essential to navigating the complexities of mergers and acquisitions. Among those eligible include, but are not limited to, attorneys, accountants, consultants, bankers, business brokers, private equity and family office executives, entrepreneurs and corporate M&A professionals.
• Nomination deadline: June 6, 2025 

• Nominations closed
• About: Notable Leaders in Health Care Technology recognizes leaders who integrate technology with health services and improve patient care. Among those eligible are senior leaders who demonstrate a significant impact on their organization or industry from start-ups to hospitals to local government.
• Nomination deadline: Aug. 1, 2025

• Nominations closed
• About: Notable Leaders in Philanthropy recognizes leaders in our community who share a commitment to social change. Among those eligible are senior leaders or board members at nonprofits, hospitals and foundations.
• Nomination deadline: Aug. 29, 2025

How to nominate: 

• To get started: Click the nomination link and sign into your account. If you do not have an account, you will be asked to create one before you can proceed with the nomination form. We recommend using Chrome or Firefox web browsers to complete your application. 
  • To finish an incomplete nomination: Sign into your account and choose either the "incomplete" or "in progress" option as shown on the next page. Then, select "edit" on the following page to complete the previously started submission.
• To submit someone for consideration, there is a nomination fee of $25, which must be paid before the nomination can be formally submitted. The nomination fee ensures that your nominee will be considered for inclusion in the final published story; it does not ensure your nominee will automatically be included.

Honoree notification: Notable honorees will be notified by phone or email approximately 3 weeks before publication. Please note that we do not notify all applicants, only those we have chosen to include.

Got questions? We have answers. Click to our FAQ page to see answers to the most common questions.

Contact us: To address technical issues with the submission form or payment process, please contact Crain’s Chicago Business’ Recognitions team at ChicagoRecognitions@crain.com

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