Boston’s had a rough go lately. Over the past 12 months, the federal government has taken a sledgehammer to the city’s very foundation, freezing or canceling NIH grants, stripping universities of funding, and basically deciding that the institutions the city spent a century building are, in fact, the problem. After that kind of attack, we had every reason to cry uncle.

Not a chance.

Mayor Michelle Wu won reelection by 93 percent—after her opponent, seeing the writing on the wall, withdrew before Election Day. Tens of thousands marched on the Common. Scientists pushed back. Lawyers filed lawsuits. Then, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye clinched the AFC Championship and gave the city its first Super Bowl appearance in seven years.

The Patriots didn’t start the fire, but they sure fed it. By late January, a city that had spent months refusing to fold had one more reason to believe in itself. As if to underline the point, the rest of the world is literally coming here to see us in action. That didn’t happen by accident. This summer, Boston hosts the FIFA World Cup, the Tall Ships, and the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding—the result of years of work by the leaders, dealmakers, and civic builders you’ll find on the pages ahead. It’s the most consequential season this city has seen in generations. The city that refused to fold is about to throw the party of a lifetime—and the people who made it possible are all on this list.

Which brings us, as it does every year, to the question of who, exactly, is running this town. Each year, we set out to highlight the people shaping how Boston lives, works, thinks, and feels. This year, more than most, that meant finding the people who held the line—and the ones who drew new ones. Here are the top 150. Argue with us if you’d like—we’re counting on it. —David Bernstein

Additional reporting by Siena Griffin, McKenna Johnson, Abigail Pritchard, and Jonathan Soroff

→ 25,500-square-foot new office in the Seaport
→ 32 brands within the private-label Columbus Product Group

Mullaney has been on an acquisition spree—but to him, that just means shoe shopping. The Chelsea-born CEO has turned RG Barry Brands from a Dearfoams slipper company into a global footwear platform, snapping up Clarks and Timberland slipper licenses and Gola sneakers in quick succession. He’s also brought the company home, anchoring a Seaport headquarters in the city where he grew up. “We’re definitely not done,” he recently said.

Original Published: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/boston-power-list-2026/, Boston Magazine