Undoubtedly, we will get our fair share of carping for including a crop of current chief executives. "How can you include GM's Mary Barra or Apple's Tim Cook?" asked one of our ilk. "People are going to laugh at our Next list because they aren't next; they are now."  Our response: How can one ignore leaders who are in the very early innings of their tenure at iconic companies. Cook has been CEO for just three years, and as Apple's recent moves into mobile payments and fitness show, the company unquestionably has a profound effect on business and our lives. Besides, when you look at our First list, some of the best-known figures—Rupert Murdoch or Li Ka-Shing—started to have some of their greatest influence when they were well into their 50s, 60s and beyond.  Read More25 Years of CNBC: How things have changed  It's impossible to tell if all the understudies to some of today's biggest names will innovate as much as their mentors. But we are betting on a few who will. One who is already doing so is Jonathan Gray, a real estate whiz and partner at Blackstone Group. While Blackstone is known as Steven Schwarzman's empire, Gray played a huge role in propelling its success over the past decade as the investors behind some its most profitable deals, including its $26 billion LBO of Hilton, the most profitable private equity deal in history. Gray is expected to one day take over the firm, and we are gambling the name Gray will be among the Wall Street greats: Dimon, Kravis, Blankfein, Weill, Paulson, etc.  Even though baseball legend Casey Stengel warned: "Never make predictions, especially about the future," we have plowed ahead. Unlike with the CNBC First 25 list, which we narrowed down to 25 people, we are sticking with more than 100 because of the staggering scope of talent we had to choose from.  Consider these individuals our markers on the entrepreneurs, dreamers, financiers and corporate executives who are starting to influence what the world will look like in 2039. Who would be on your list? Make your suggestions in the comments below.  CNBC NEXT LIST:Rebels, leaders, innovators for the next 25 years
Meet a contingent of leaders and innovators that CNBC believes will have the greatest influence on business and society in 25 years.