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As we enter 2026, luck is preparing to release our fourth edition of Fortune 500 Europe list, which celebrates the most successful companies in the region through the framework of one of the most prestigious business awards. To really understand these companies, we started a program of webinar masterclasses, executive interviews and in-depth strategies, leading up to an exclusive event in London for CEOs in September. For leaders of Fortune 500 Europe brands—and those who aspire to be them—it is a one-stop shop for celebrating successes, learning from challenges and benchmarking strategies against their peers.
Last year, the Fortune 500 list celebrated its 70th anniversary. While the European-specific list is a younger member of the family, it nevertheless celebrates the same values of stability, adaptability and business success.
Leo Leonni
It’s a tough time to be a business in Europe. In his speech in Davos last week, President Donald Trump was not very complimentary about the continent, calling out European countries for investing in green energy, importing a lot from foreign countries and failing to check mass migration. Organizations headquartered in Europe are grappling with an uncertain economic outlook, a volatile geopolitical landscape, and a wave of technological change that is upending everything from product development to talent management.
But, here at luckwe are more optimistic about the state of things. Last year’s Fortune 500 Europe list featured 36 new companies, showing that there is still room for maneuver—and growth—even at the highest levels of business. These companies operate in many sectors from agribusiness to publishing, financial services to manufacturing.
Europe is still home to some of the world’s greatest innovators. From L’Oreal—which successfully transformed itself from a beauty brand to a technology company in more than a decade—to Nokia—which began life as a pulp mill in the 19th century before becoming known for making indestructible mobile phones and, today, the network technology that connects everything from antennas to data centers.
European businesses understand the power of the pivot, but also the power of inheritance. Some members of the list have roots that reach hundreds of years, incl Anheuser-Busch InBev, Santander Bank and Barclays. These are brands that carry heritage and experience unmatched by some of their global peers.
As we enter the fourth year of Fortune 500 Europe and start compiling the 2026 list, we want to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of some of the continent’s most impressive companies. Over the next nine months, we will be running a series of webinars exploring what makes a Fortune 500 European business tick. Speaking with leaders from some of the region’s most successful companies, these sessions will cover how to navigate the talent crisis, prioritize goals and measure the ROI of AI projects—and more.
This will lead to our London-based CEO forum on September 16th, an invitation-only gathering for those at the helm of these businesses, and an opportunity for benchmarking strategies, sharing ideas and networking within the CEO peer community.
To learn more, join us at February 11 to meet the editors and have the opportunity to shape the coverage and be part of the celebration.
