Who: Josef Ackermann, Deutsche Bank CEO

How he fiercely influenced finance: Early this week, Josef Ackermann was named "European Banker of the Year" by a panel of economic journalists for his leadership of Deutsche Bank during troubled financial times.

The Swiss banker and Deutsche Bank CEO also ranked No. 6 on Financial News' list of the 100 most influential people in European financial markets in 2010 for preserving DB as the European benchmark for equity and debt capital markets. "Ackermann, who has run the bank since 2002, has maintained a steady hand on the tiller," notes Financial News. "Under his watch, the bank has yet to suffer a compensation backlash."

Ackermann's authority in economic thinking was recognized earlier this year by the Atlantic Council when it granted him the Distinguished Business Leadership Award. He was recognized "for the remarkably powerful role that Deutsche Bank, under his stewardship, has assumed in international banking and finance, as well as for the leading role he is taking in the recovery and stabilization of financial markets", according to the Council.

What's more, under Ackermann's management, Deutsche Bank was just named "Best Global Investment Bank" for 2009-2010 by Euromoney Magazine.

What's next: Although the Deutsche Bank board extended the CEO's contract until the spring of 2013, Ackermann has told shareholders that he is already involved in "intensive" succession planning, notes the Financial Times.

Last week Ackermann announced that he expects a positive outlook for the Deutsche Bank in 2011 and hopes the new capital rules will provide a level playing field for banks, according to Reuters coverage of the G20 summit.