Orlando Business Journal Honours 10 Most Influential Leaders
ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 26, 2026. The Orlando Business Journal‘s 2026 Most Influential Leaders programme recognised 10 Central Florida business leaders at its October 22 event, following a revised selection process combining peer nominations with editorial review.
The recognition programme brought attention to executives and institutional leaders working across property development, aviation, education, hospitality, financial technology and other industries. This year’s smaller group reflects a change in how the publication identifies people influencing Central Florida’s business community.
The event took place at the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, according to the event reporting. The ceremony followed a series of profiles introducing the selected leaders and examining their professional activities.
A Different Approach To Selecting Business Leaders
Orlando Business Journal changed its Most Influential Leaders selection process in 2026, asking prominent regional executives to identify people whose work they closely follow.
Nominations were assessed with input from the publication’s editorial leadership, producing a final group of 10 honourees.
The smaller selection marked a departure from previous editions of the programme, which recognised larger groups. Rather than extending the list across numerous business sectors, the publication concentrated on individuals whose activities have shaped, or could shape, Central Florida’s future.
Richard Bilbao, Orlando Business Journal’s editor-in-chief, introduced the revised approach earlier in 2026. The publication also changed how it announced the recipients, releasing individual profiles ahead of the recognition event.
Those profiles provided readers with information about the leaders’ organisations, business plans and professional perspectives before the October ceremony.
Who Are the 10 Most Influential Leaders?
The 2026 honourees represent businesses and institutions with roles in Central Florida’s economy.
The recognised individuals were:
Kathleen Plinske, Valencia College
Michael D. Brown, Travel + Leisure
Justin Wetherill, Jeff’s Bagel Run
Their organisations span commercial property development, aviation, restaurant operations, higher education, tourism, aerospace, legal services and financial technology.
That range is significant to the recognition programme because Central Florida’s business activity extends beyond its best-known tourism attractions.
The selection also includes leaders from public institutions alongside executives from private businesses. Their responsibilities differ, but each operates within a sector connected to the region’s development and economic activity.
Development Projects Highlight Regional Investment
Among the honourees is Chuck Whittall of Unicorp National Developments, whose property development plans include a substantial redevelopment project along International Drive.
Unicorp and New York-based Flag Luxury Group plan to invest approximately $1 billion over five to seven years in transforming the former Wyndham Orlando Resort property at 8001 International Drive.
The proposed investment illustrates the scale of development activity associated with one of the selected business leaders. However, the project remains a planned redevelopment, and its investment figure should not be treated as completed spending.
Another recognised developer, Beat Kahli of Avalon Park Group, is associated with projects across Central Florida. His inclusion places residential and commercial development alongside other industries represented in this year’s selection.
Elsewhere in the group, Suneera Madhani represents financial technology through Worth, while Lance Lyttle’s work at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority connects the recognition programme to regional aviation infrastructure.
The selection of Kathleen Plinske from Valencia College and Kelvin Manning from NASA also brings educational and aerospace institutions into the same recognition programme as privately owned companies.
These examples demonstrate the different organisational responsibilities represented among the honourees without implying that their projects or achievements are directly comparable.
What The 2026 Recognition Means For Central Florida
The October 22 ceremony concluded a selection process that placed greater emphasis on nominations from established regional leaders and editorial assessment.
Unlike a ranking based on revenue, employee numbers or company valuations, the programme identifies individuals considered influential within Central Florida’s business community.
The distinction matters because the selected organisations operate at different scales and serve different purposes. A property developer’s investment plans, a college president’s institutional responsibilities and an aviation executive’s infrastructure work cannot be measured using a single business performance indicator.
Orlando Business Journal’s revised format instead focuses on leadership influence across multiple sectors.
With the 2026 recipients announced and recognised, the latest programme provides a snapshot of the executives and institutional figures the publication has chosen to highlight as Central Florida continues to develop.
The final group of 10 reflects both established business activity and prospective projects, while leaving the eventual results of individual investment and expansion plans to be determined.
