The Imperialist
Rupert Murdoch
Chairman and C.E.O. // News Corp.
Murdoch's purchase of the Wall Street Journal has launched the media executive into his own sphere of moguldom. And he's not done there: Industry insiders suspect that he also has his eye on the New York Times.
The Goldman Standard
Lloyd Blankfein
C.E.O. // Goldman Sachs
Given the current state of Wall Street, Blankfein would win points for simply keeping Goldman Sachs in business. But under his leadership, the firm has done more than merely survive. Goldman was the first investment bank to dive deep into proprietary trading—buying and selling securities for the company's profit in addition to that of its clients.
Mass Transit
Ratan Tata
Chairman // Tata Group
Ratan Tata believes the future of the auto industry rests in the hands of people who don't yet drive. Besides snapping up Jaguar and Land Rover, his company, the Tata Group, is developing a car that will cost just $2,500.
Evil Slayer
Paul Buchheit
Co-founder // FriendFeed
Software designer Paul Buchheit was Google employee No. 23 and the creator of both Gmail, the company's popular email service, and the first prototype of AdSense, its highly profitable online-ad program. But perhaps his biggest contribution was coining the phrase "Don't be evil," which expresses to the world how the search giant intends to conduct business.
Bear Hunter
Jamie Dimon
C.E.O. // J.P. Morgan Chase
The takeover of Bear Stearns by J.P. Morgan Chase was hailed for preventing a potential meltdown in world markets. Grumbling from Bear shareholders and a negotiating snafu prompted a fivefold jump in the fire-sale price. But the deal is still a huge boon to J.P. Morgan's hedge fund and other businesses.
Debt Threat
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Managing Director // World Bank
In little more than two years as finance minister of Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala transformed its finances and wiped out $30 billion in debt with a $12 billion payment funded by soaring oil revenue. Today, as a managing director of the World Bank, she's responsible not only for the rest of Africa but also for Europe and parts of Asia.
Green Monster
Jeff Immelt
C.E.O. // General Electric
G.E.'s Ecomagination program has blunted criticism from environmentalists and proved to be an effective business strategy. G.E. sold $14 billion worth of Ecomagination products in 2007 and reduced emissions by 4 percent. Other big companies have followed suit.
Skin Game
Photoillustration by Gary Land
James Thomson
Anatomy professor // University of Wisconsin
The first scientist to isolate human stem cells in 1998, last fall Thomson announced that he had caused a human skin cell to revert to a stem cell that was virtually identical to those found in embryos. The achievement could open the floodgates of investment.
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