The 17 most powerful LGBT+ executives in the world

Bickell heads the FTSE 350 Real Estate Investment Trust and is also a board member of Freehold, the LGBT+ group for real-estate professionals. He is a member of Property Week's Open Plan diversity panel, and an ambassador for gay charity Stonewall.

Insurance company Aviva is frequently recognised for its attempts to increase LGBT diversity in the workplace, particularly through its 'Pride' network. Darlington began to speak more openly about her sexuality at work after following an Aviva Pride talk held by rugby player Gareth Thomas.

Wood is not only one of the most senior employees at Bloomberg, but he also takes time to mentor LGBT+ staff and has spoken at a number of events, panels, and conferences about being an openly LGBT+ leader in business. He was awarded an MBE in 1995.

Data specialist, neuroscientist and tech entrepreneur Vivienne Ming is an active campaigner for LGBT+ rights. As a transgender woman, Ming advises other transgender entrepreneurs, and campaigns to raise awareness of the LGBT+ community's contribution the business world.

Schultz leads growth marketing, analytics, and internationalisation for Facebook and is involved with the group's LGBT+ product initiatives. He joined the company in 2007 and is also active in Facebook's LGBT+ employee-resource group.

Bailey is responsible for over 11,000 employees at the iconic British fashion brand Burberry. He has won various fashion accolades, including Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, and is a vocal supporter of LGBT+ rights and equality.

Peter Arvai co-founded innovative software company Prezi in 2008. Before that, he moved to San Francisco from his native Hungary and founded StartOut, an organisation for gay tech entrepreneurs. "It was very inspiring as a gay entrepreneur to have the opportunity to go to events that are targeted for others like me," he told the Hungarian Free Press.

Vega is one of the most senior executives at the Dow group and works with most of the country's senior leaders as part of his chief of staff role. He also advocates workforce equality and represents Dow's Gays, Lesbians & Allies at Dow (GLAD) employee network as management sponsor.

Retail consultant and TV personality Mary Portas was appointed by David Cameron to lead a review into the condition of Britain's high streets. She told magazine Good Housekeeping last year that "I'm a gay woman and I have some sort of social responsibility to people who still feel they haven’t a voice."

Bingham is the most senior LGBT+ partner in the UK and Ireland accountancy firm of EY. She is an influential advocate of LGBT+ rights inside and outside work. She was awarded an OBE for her work in developing LGBT+ equality in the workplace this year.

Mildenhall joined the Airbnb from Coca-Cola in 2014. He is heavily involved with promoting LGBT+ friendly events at the company, and was heavily involved with the company's 2016 'Pride' campaign.

Furnish gained a lot of power after becoming legendary musician Elton John's partner, and he used his influence and position at Rocket Entertainment Group to champion LGBT+ rights in a number of ways. This included pushing for marriage equality. Furnish and John became one of the first gay couples in Britain to get a civil partnership.

Barrister Friedman was appointed to JP Morgan's General Counsel in 2015. In September, she successfully fought a pro-bono case that struck down a ban on gay adoption in Arkansas, USA.

Rothblatt is the joint leader at a £2.5 billion ($3 billion) biotech company. She is an openly transgender leader who has extensively talked about her transition to raise awareness. She also authored the book "Apartheid of Sex: A Manifesto on the Freedom of Gender."

Joyce became the leader of Qantas in 2008 and, under his watch, the group became one of the first companies officially to support Australian marriage equality.

In 2014, Beale became the first female CEO in the insurer's 327-year history. She is also openly bisexual and has been instrumental in the launch of Pride@Lloyd's, an internal LGBT+ employee-resource group.

Hong Kong-based Chao is set to inherit her father Cecil's £1.23 billion ($1.5 billion) property business. She is married to her female partner of over ten years and is a prominent gay rights activist. Her father made headlines in 2012 when he offered £40 million ($65 million) to any man who could persuade his daughter to marry him. They have since reconciled their relationship, and work together closely at Cheuk Nang Holdings.