President
Haier Group
Country: ChinaHaier Group
2006 rank: 20
She may get less credit than Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin, but the 66-year-old president of China's largest appliance maker is a key player. Yang has turned around the company's R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and organizational structure since its days of near bankruptcy in the mid-1980s. Last year revenue rose 7.5%, to $13.5 billion.