Corporate America’s bottom line is growing fatter, fast. Big-company earnings per share swelled nearly 25% during the first quarter, the biggest gain since 2010. Global economic growth looks strong, too. Exceptional chief executives are preparing for tomorrow’s challenges by putting today’s cash windfall to good use. It’s no coincidence, then, that two themes stood out as Barron’s compiled its 14th annual list of the World’s Best CEOs: cloud savvy and smart acquisitions.
Five of our 30 honorees run mostly online businesses,…