Photo montage by Adam Connors
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RANKINGS 1-5
| 6-10 | 11-15
| 16-20 | 21-25
| 26-30 | 31-35
| 36-40 | 41-45
| 46-50 | next
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31
Dhirubhai Ambani
CHAIRMAN OF RELIANCE INDUSTRIES
BORN Dec. 28, 1932, in Chorwad, Gujarat, India
EDUCATION High school graduate
FAMILY Married; two sons, Mukesh and Anil, who also run Reliance
POWER POINTS If power is measured in face time with the leader
of the free world, then Ambani has it in spades. Bill Clinton spent
45 minutes with the "Polyester Prince" on his recent visit to India.
Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee got just 10. As boss of India's largest
private enterprise, Ambani told Clinton how conflict with Pakistan
might impact business. He gives the PM his views, too. It is often
said that Ambani -- and Reliance -- have benefited from the benevolence
of the government. These days it seems more like the other way around.
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Xinhua
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32
Li Peng
CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS, CHINA
BORN Oct. 20, 1928, in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China
EDUCATION Zhangjiakou School of Industry; Moscow Mechanical
Institute
FAMILY Married; three children
HOBBIES Basketball, calligraphy, driving
POWER POINTS Secure in his job as NPC chief, where he is pursuing
a brisk legislative pace, Li owes his longevity at the top to strong
support from elder and more conservative cadres, as well as the backing
of the State Council, which he headed for two terms. Even a potentially
damaging corruption scandal involving a key crony has been quietly
brushed under the carpet. Much like the controversy surrounding his
central role in the bloody Tiananmen crackdown, it seems Li isn't
going away in a hurry.
Chan
Looi Tat for Asiaweek
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33
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
DEPUTY PM AND HOME MINISTER, MALAYSIA
BORN Nov. 26, 1939, in Penang state,Malaysia
EDUCATION BA in Islamic Studies, University of Malaya
FAMILY Married to Endon Mahmood; one son and one daughter
HOBBIES Reading, playing golf
POWER POINTS A stop-gap deputy premier after his predecessor
Anwar Ibrahim was ousted in 1998, Abdullah has since emerged as Mahathir's
most likely successor. Shedding his "Mr. Nice" image, the DPM has
taken a tough line with opposition publications and demonstrators.
Abdullah has strong personal support within the dominant UMNO party,
garnering an unassailable number of nominations for the deputy leader's
post. But his failure to get allies installed as vice presidents means
he is no shoo-in for PM. Election is never a sure thing for Malaysia's
leaders-in-waiting.
34
Thaksin Shinawatra
LEADER, THAI RAK THAI PARTY, THAILAND
BORN July 26, 1949, in Chiang Mai, Thailand
EDUCATION Police Academy, Thailand
FAMILY Married, one son, two daughters
POWER POINTS Critics say he's old wine in a new bottle, a tried-and-failed
politician with a new party and image, but no new ideas. But Thaksin
is winning converts with U.S.-style campaign glitz and an 11-point
action plan to tackle Thailand's woes. Running second to PM Chuan
in the polls, the telecoms tycoon hopes he can make the next election
a tough one to call.
35
Lee Kun Hee
CHAIRMAN, SAMSUNG GROUP
BORN Jan. 9, 1942, in Taegu, South Korea
EDUCATION Waseda University, Tokyo; George Washington University,
U.S.
FAMILY Married; one son and three daughters
HOBBIES Golf
POWER POINTS The Crisis gave Lee the opportunity to reform
and restructure Samsung, offloading redundant units and wiping out
debts. The recovery is giving him the chance to reorient. Lee is installing
new men for the New Economy, promoting executives in their 40s and
early 50s to senior management positions. Lee sees the future and
it is digital. Samsung Electronics is shedding its non-digital product
lines, while Samsung Corp. is investing $1 billion in the Internet
over the next few years. It's a future investors like the look of.
The market value of Samsung's companies has doubled since July 1999.
RANKINGS 1-5
| 6-10 | 11-15
| 16-20 | 21-25
| 26-30 | 31-35
| 36-40 | 41-45
| 46-50 | next
>>
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