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She isn't old enough to buy an alcoholic drink at her local bar, but Alia Sabur can do something no other 19-year-old in the world can do. The former child prodigy, clarinet maestro, black belt martial artist and budding scientist has been named the world's youngest professor.
Miss Sabur has been begin teaching physics at Korea's Konkuk University since last year, breaking a record set by Scottish mathmetician Colin Maclaurin three centuries ago, reports the Times. However, the achievement will come as little surprise to her friends and family. Miss Sabur has been exceeding expectations since infanthood.
She gained a university graduate by 10, a masters at 17 and managed to squeeze in becoming a concert clarinetist with the Rockland Symphony Orchestra - aged 11. Miss Sabur says her secret is curiosity.
"I just wanted to know how things worked," she told the paper.
"My parents encouraged me in anything I wanted to do."
But her gift is not without its drawbacks. By five she had outgrown her friends and moved on to secondary school, where her intellect singled her out as a misfit. When she went to Stony Brook University in New York aged 10, she took her teddy bears to physics classes.
Although the undergraduate students were much older than her, Sabur tells they treated her "kind of as a mascot - they were wonderfully accepting".
"I never tried to be their friend and hang out with them. I had friends always of my own age, so I considered them as classmates and colleagues of a sort but I never socialised with them - that would have been too weird."
Looking back, all of five years, she says Stony Brook was a great place to be, rather than in middle school where she might have been ostracised or made to conform to the views of her classmates. Instead, she spent her fifth, sixth and seventh grades - when all of her friends were still at school - in college, years when young people are often criticised by their peers and made to feel they have to dress and behave in certain ways.
"Obviously, college students, and physics and maths majors, pretty much do their own thing and they didn't have any problems with anything I might have thought of doing. I became self-confident and never had any doubt about my interests, whether what I did was right or wrong or whether it was OK for a girl to be a physical scientist - they were never doubts that occurred to me."
She says her mother, a television reporter, and her electrical engineer father helped her with whatever she wanted to do. Yet she notes that many girls are discouraged earlier on at school from studying maths or science and once they reach college, "the damage has been done and it's too late to reverse it".
"My four years at Stony Brook were probably the best academic experience I've had; I had world-class professors, I was at an age when my eyes were wide open to learning, I still have that excitement and fascination, I still love learning, but it's different to when you are 10 years old... and I suddenly had the world open to me and everything was available."
Sabur then went on to Philadelphia's Drexel University where she earned an MSc and a PhD in materials science and engineering. She became the youngest academic to receive fellowships and awards from the US Department of Defense, NASA, the National Science Foundation and a government scheme called Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need.
"Grad school was much more serious and intense and I'm glad I was accepted although I don't think my acceptance had anything to do with my age and was more to do with my accomplishments and my very strong GPA as an undergraduate. I don't think anyone bent any rules or provided any extra support, except for my parents giving me moral and parental support. My mother would give me a candy bar before I took a test and make me go to sleep on time..."
Keeping bright sparks alight
The appointment of Alia Sabur, the world's youngest professor, raises questions about how other highly intelligent children can be helped to achieve their potential. Take as an example, the case of Thomas Carlyle, who grew up to become the famous Scottish writer and essayist. At the age of 11 months, he was supposed never to have uttered a word until one day, hearing another child crying in the house, he looked up at his nurse and inquired: "What ails wee Jock?"
Given that most young children only begin to use single words about the age of one and do not even put two words together for another year, little Thomas had provided a clear indication that here was a gifted child indeed. Those characteristics of a precocious vocabulary, social maturity, advanced curiosity, impressive memory, along with sympathy and concern for others, are said to be typical of exceptional children. In the case of Carlyle and Alia Sabur, their talents were recognised and nurtured so they flourished.
Both were lucky. Psychologists estimate that about 2% of children are gifted or talented and that perhaps another 3% have abilities that go unrecognised. That would mean the world has more than 100 million children who are unusually able, children with intellectual or other gifts that set them apart from the norm. Their contributions to the future of humanity could be enormous but unfortunately for many of them, poverty, war, disease and even school contribute to dousing the bright sparks.
Being too clever by half, in fact, is often a handicap in the western classroom or the school yard where high intelligence attracts the sort of scorn children tend to reserve for the maimed, migrants or anyone else who seems to be different from the crowd. Nicknames such as 'professor', 'egghead', 'walking dictionary' and other more pejorative terms are common.
"Their brains are loads too heavy for some of them to carry," says a parent of a gifted child. "And sometimes they disguise their abilities to escape the ridicule of their peers."
Alia Sabur had a lot of help from her family, her teachers and her lecturers in achieving the potential she was born with. In one sense she represents a beacon for the parents of bright children everywhere - and their teachers. As critics of the way the needs of the cleverest children are often ignored point out, schools should acknowledge the wide diversity of skills, abilities and learning styles that exist among their students and help parents and teachers with programmes that develop all their talents.
Such programmes should extend from kindergarten through school and on to further education colleges and the universities. Certainly at the tertiary level, there is work to be done with many teacher education courses to better prepare new teachers for the demands gifted children make on them. How to kick children along without knocking them down is a challenge for pedagogues yet people such as Alia Sabur show the social benefits that can come from succeeding at that task.
Who's Tops in the Global Game?
By Mark Scott
Which country is best placed to ride out the global recession? That question is at the heart of this year's World Competitiveness Yearbook, an annual report published by IMD business school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Researchers ranked 57 of the world's leading economies based on four categories of competitiveness: economy, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure. And for the 16th consecutive year, the U.S. came out on top, despite the financial crisis and deep economic downturn there. European countries held on to half of the top 20 spots, while emerging economies such as China and Qatar continued to gain ground on their Western rivals.
To be successful on the global stage, particularly as the world struggles with its worst economic situation in decades, countries have to combine open markets and investment incentives with a flexible labor market and a well-educated workforce.
Note: Figures for per capita GDP and real GDP growth are for 2008.
Competitiveness: The U.S. and Europe Are Tops
Developed countries still enjoy huge advantages in economic competitiveness, based on their advanced infrastructure, education, and laws
The global financial crisis seemingly shifted economic power away from hard-hit Western countries such as the U.S. and Britain to cash-rich emerging economies such as India and China. But while the West is limping along today, economic power may shift back when growth resumes. Why? Among the nations of the world, developed countries still enjoy considerable advantages in fundamental economic competitiveness—whether based on the quality of their infrastructure and educational systems or the sophistication of their business laws and bureaucracy.
That's the conclusion of the 2009 World Competitiveness Yearbook, an annual report published by IMD business school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Based on a detailed analysis of economic output, government and business efficiency, skills, and infrastructure, the researchers ranked 57 of the world's economies to determine which are best placed to succeed in the 21st century economic race.
Topping the list for the 16th consecutive year, unchanged from its No. 1 ranking in the 2008 report, was the U.S.—despite a tough economic situation and rising unemployment. With its world-class higher-education system, enormous and diverse economy, and powerful infrastructure, the U.S. continues to be the world's biggest economic engine and top destination for foreign direct investment.
The U.S. shared top billing with plenty of other developed and competitive countries whose economies also are shaky these days. Among the top 20 on the list, only oil-rich Qatar, ranked 14, and China, ranked 20, can be considered emerging economies.
Flexible and Adaptable
What makes countries like Denmark and Japan more competitive than the likes of Slovakia and Brazil? Some of the credit goes to efficient domestic policies, ranging from the level of taxation to the time required to start a business. Though many top-ranked countries have labor market protections, relatively high taxes, and sizable bureaucracies, they are nevertheless more flexible and adaptable to the rapidly evolving global economy than many emerging countries. They also usually benefit from less corruption, more stable public finances, and generally better and more widely available education.
"Countries at the top of this year's rankings are better prepared to adapt to the current turbulent [economic] times," says Stéphane Garelli, director of IMD's World Competitiveness Center. "The business communities don't fear change, and governments should be able to enact reforms quickly."
That's not to say today's leading countries will stay ahead forever. Garelli warns that creeping complacency—particularly in sustaining R&D investment and maintaining education standards—could undermine the Western world's current dominance. Government intervention in the financial sector also could hurt entrepreneurship. And emerging economies' cash reserves targeted at improving domestic infrastructure may soon allow China and India to close the gap on that score.
Yet for naysayers who forecast the declining business influence of North America and Western Europe, the IMD competitiveness reports during recent years provide for interesting reading.
Nordic Edge
Take Sweden. The Scandinavian country jumped from No. 14 in 2005 to No. 6 in this year's rankings. What gives this small state, with a population of just 9.2 million, an edge over India and its population of 1.1 billion? According to IMD's Garelli, Sweden's widespread social programs, combined with a strong education system and vibrant entrepreneurial scene, mean Sweden ranks among the top 10 countries in the world on more than half of IMD's competitiveness categories. In contrast, India, which is ranked No. 30 this year, scores high marks only for the size of its domestic economy and its low labor costs.
The competitiveness divide isn't limited to countries in different continents. Many of Asia's more developed economies, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, continue to outpace the likes of Malaysia and Thailand. Central to their success is a large domestic pool of cash-rich entrepreneurs supported by governments that remain business-friendly despite the souring of the global economy. Hong Kong, for instance, still tops IMD's rankings for international trade and investment, while Singapore remains a world-beater in smart business regulation.
Can the U.S. hold on again to its No. 1 ranking? IMD's Garelli reckons so for the foreseeable future, despite rising unemployment and government intervention in financial markets. "You can never underestimate the U.S. capacity to reinvent itself," he says.
No. 1 U.S.
Change Since 2008 Ranking: unchanged
Real Per Capita GDP: $45,017
Real GDP Growth: 1.1%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 1
Government Efficiency: 20
Business Efficiency: 16
Infrastructure: 1
Despite the struggling financial sector, the U.S. still tops the list for direct investment, both from domestic and international investors. The country has been viewed as a safe haven during the credit crunch, but the government's growing deficit and regulatory burden on business may soon hinder U.S. competitiveness.
No. 2 Hong Kong
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +1
Real Per Capita GDP: $43,040
Real GDP Growth: 2.5%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 3
Government Efficiency: 2
Business Efficiency: 1
Infrastructure: 19
Hong Kong's role as the financial center for the Asia Pacific region gives it a major advantage over rivals. So far, unemployment hasn't hit as hard as in other places, though rising government spending and declining availability of credit could put strains on both the public and private sectors.
No. 3 Singapore
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -1
Real Per Capita GDP: $47,646
Real GDP Growth: 1.1%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 8
Government Efficiency: 1
Business Efficiency: 4
Infrastructure: 8
Singapore fell one spot in the 2009 rankings, losing ground to local rival Hong Kong. The global recession has stalled direct investment, and falling revenues from struggling financial-services companies have hurt the country's current account balance. To improve competitiveness, the government is investing intensively to improve local education standards.
No. 4 Switzerland
Change Since 2008 Ranking: unchanged
Real Per Capita GDP: $41,068
Real GDP Growth: 1.6%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 13
Government Efficiency: 3
Business Efficiency: 3
Infrastructure: 4
The U.S. tax evasion scandal at Swiss financial giant UBS and tens of billions in writedowns may have knocked back the country's banking system, but Switzerland still ranks highly for financial services. Government regulation and the Swiss business community's efficiency also remain world-beaters. That has helped to offset the rising cost of exports due to the Swiss franc's strength against other currencies.
No. 5 Denmark
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +1
Real Per Capita GDP: $35,677
Real GDP Growth: -1.0%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 23
Government Efficiency: 4
Business Efficiency: 2
Infrastructure: 6
An educated workforce, streamlined government regulation, and a highly competent local business community put Denmark near the top of any investor's wish list. The country's economy has taken a battering recently—partly due to the weakness of the Danish kroner against more stable currencies—but analysts expect the small Scandinavian country to rebound far more quickly than its larger European neighbors.
No. 6 Sweden
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +3
Real Per Capita GDP: $36,180
Real GDP Growth: -0.2%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 20
Government Efficiency: 10
Business Efficiency: 6
Infrastructure: 2
From its No. 14 showing in 2005, Sweden has steadily climbed the competitive league tables to reach the No. 6 spot, up three places since last year. Central to the country's success are its wide-ranging social programs: Education levels remain high, the standard of living is among the best in the world, and Stockholm continues to be a global hub for technology R&D. Not everything has gone to plan, though. The country's banks have large exposure to the faltering Eastern European economies.
No. 7 Australia
Change Since 2008 Ranking: unchanged
Real Per Capita GDP: $34,935
Real GDP Growth: 2.0%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 15
Government Efficiency: 8
Business Efficiency: 7
Infrastructure: 12
Located near the rising economic giants of the Asia Pacific region, Australia combines a bustling financial-services sector, a business-friendly regulatory environment, and easy access to some of the world's most vibrant developing economies. But growing government debt, combined with a recent drop in foreign direct investment, is starting to hamper the competitiveness of Australia's business community.
No. 8 Canada
Change Since 2008 Ranking: unchanged
Real Per Capita GDP: $35,669
Real GDP Growth: 0.5%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 16
Government Efficiency: 9
Business Efficiency: 9
Infrastructure: 7
Unlike the U.S. financial-services sector, Canadian banks have weathered the economic downturn relatively unscathed. The country's proximity to the world's largest economy and its large energy reserves have boosted interest from foreign investors. Economists do worry, however, that local companies are cutting back R&D, particularly in the tech sector.
No. 9 Finland
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +6
Real Per Capita GDP: $34,750
Real GDP Growth: 0.9%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 40
Government Efficiency: 6
Business Efficiency: 5
Infrastructure: 3
For a country sporting a population of only 5.3 million, Finland punches well above its economic weight, rising a remarkable six places in this year's ranking. Home to cell-phone giant Nokia, as well as a thriving technology scene, the northern European country benefits from one of the best education systems in the world. Local authorities also have bent over backward to keep regulation to a minimum to entice foreign investment.
No. 10 Netherlands
Change Since 2008 Ranking: unchanged
Real Per Capita GDP: $39,215
Real GDP Growth: 2.0%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 7
Government Efficiency: 14
Business Efficiency: 8
Infrastructure: 11
The financial crisis may have hurt Dutch financial giants such as local banks ABN Amro and Fortis, but the Netherlands still boasts one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial sectors in Europe. The country also has larger economic clout as one of the founding members of the euro zone, the 16-country-strong club of states whose currency is the euro. The Netherlands similarly can rely on a multilingual, highly educated workforce to bolster domestic economic growth.
No. 11 Norway
Change Since 2008 Ranking: unchanged
Real Per Capita GDP: $53,481
Real GDP Growth: 2.0%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 19
Government Efficiency: 11
Business Efficiency: 10
Infrastructure: 10
With some of the world's largest energy reserves, Norway has built up a significant capital surplus to shelter the local business community from the worst of the global downturn. The country's deep pockets also mean taxes are kept to a minimum. And the educational system is well-financed and focused on turning out a high-qualified workforce, particularly engineering graduates.
No. 12 Luxembourg
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -7
Real Per Capita GDP: $79,379
Real GDP Growth: 0.7%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 4
Government Efficiency: 16
Business Efficiency: 15
Infrastructure: 17
Luxembourg's heavy reliance on financial services led the country to fall seven places in this year's rankings, to No. 12. The small European country still turns out the highest per-capita GDP of any country in the world, a remarkable $79,379 in 2008. But now, increasing government oversight on the banking sector—particularly in relation to tax avoidance—could hurt Luxembourg, which has positioned itself as a financial center for high-net-worth individuals.
No. 13 Germany
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +3
Real Per Capita GDP: $34,907
Real GDP Growth: 1.3%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 6
Government Efficiency: 27
Business Efficiency: 19
Infrastructure: 9
Europe's largest economy remains the Continent's industrial and export powerhouse. And its banking system, though somewhat tarnished by the financial crisis, has fared better than that of either the U.S. or Britain. Looking ahead, rigid government regulation and rising unemployment stand as major challenges as Germany tries to increase its global competitiveness, which rose three places this year.
No. 14 Qatar
Change Since 2008 Ranking: N/A, new to list
Real Per Capita GDP: $54,779
Real GDP Growth: 16.8%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 5
Government Efficiency: 5
Business Efficiency: 24
Infrastructure: 30
This year is the first time IMD has ranked Qatar, and the energy-rich country jumped right to No. 14 in the 2009 list. Fueled by revenue from oil and natural gas deposits, Qatar recorded a 16.8% annual jump in 2008 GDP, the highest of any country in the rankings. To sustain economic growth, local officials are spending billions to foster the local manufacturing and financial sectors, as well as investing in companies overseas.
No. 15 New Zealand
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +3
Real Per Capita GDP: $26,985
Real GDP Growth: 0.2%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 30
Government Efficiency: 7
Business Efficiency: 21
Infrastructure: 21
Though far smaller than its neighbor Australia, New Zealand has gained a global reputation for business-friendly regulation, including low tariff barriers and straightforward rules to start a company. The country also remains one of the most efficient agricultural producers in the world, but contracting credit conditions have left many small farmers struggling to make ends meet.
No. 16 Austria
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -2
Real Per Capita GDP: $37,913
Real GDP Growth: 1.8%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 18
Government Efficiency: 24
Business Efficiency: 12
Infrastructure: 13
Austria's success is based on a highly efficient business community, strong environmental and business regulation, and an emphasis on education. The country's banks have become heavily dependent on Central and Eastern Europe—one reason it slipped two places in the ranking this year—but Austria's diversified economy, including a fast-growing energy sector, has helped to deflect the worst of the economic downturn.
No. 17 Japan
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +5
Real Per Capita GDP: $33,403
Real GDP Growth: -0.7%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 24
Government Efficiency: 40
Business Efficiency: 18
Infrastructure: 5
Japan remains home to some of the world's most well-known companies. Toyota, Sony, and Honda are only the most famous on a long list of top-tier brands that help make Japan one of the world's leading R&D centers. Domestic banks haven't been so lucky: Many are still recovering from the Asian financial crisis a decade ago. But after years of sluggishness, Japan is becoming more globally competitive again, jumping five places in this year's ranking.
No. 18 Malaysia
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +1
Real Per Capita GDP: $13,538
Real GDP Growth: 4.6%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 9
Government Efficiency: 19
Business Efficiency: 13
Infrastructure: 26
Over the past five years, Malaysia has steadily increased its global competitiveness. The secret to its success? Keeping overhead to a minimum. The Asian country ranks in the top 10 for both labor market efficiency and cost effectiveness for doing business. That has allowed Malaysia to overcome relatively lower levels of employee education and below-average basic infrastructure
No. 19 Ireland
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -7
Real Per Capita GDP: $42,993
Real GDP Growth: -2.4%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 37
Government Efficiency: 12
Business Efficiency: 17
Infrastructure: 22
Pity the formerly high-flying Irish: The global downturn and bursting of a domestic real estate bubble has declawed the Celtic Tiger and caused Ireland's competitiveness ranking to plunge seven places. Government spending has skyrocketed to fill the gap left by struggling banks, but the quality of business regulation, such as corporate taxation and investment incentives, still remains at the top of global rankings.
No. 20 China
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -3
Real Per Capita GDP: $5,825
Real GDP Growth: 9.0%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 2
Government Efficiency: 15
Business Efficiency: 37
Infrastructure: 32
After more than a decade of export-led growth, China's focus has shifted toward domestic consumption. The government's huge cash reserves, strict control of business regulation, and $586 billion stimulus package are expected to keep annual GDP growth around the 8% level despite the steep decline in overseas demand for Chinese goods. China slipped three places this year over concerns about pollution, corruption, and the rising cost of capital.
No. 21 United Kingdom
Change Since 2008 Ranking: unchanged
Real Per Capita GDP: $35,347
Real GDP Growth: 0.7%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 11
Government Efficiency: 30
Business Efficiency: 28
Infrastructure: 16
After the U.S., Britain has been one of the countries most affected by the fallout from the economic crisis. London's status as a financial hub has come under threat, while government spending will remain high until at least 2015 as local officials try to jump-start the domestic economy. Yet despite these setbacks, the country's world-leading R&D centers and business-friendly regulation still make Britain a leading destination for foreign investment, and its competitiveness ranking is unchanged from 2008.
No. 22 Belgium
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +2
Real Per Capita GDP: $35,183
Real GDP Growth: 1.1%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 10
Government Efficiency: 37
Business Efficiency: 23
Infrastructure: 15
Home to the European Union's headquarters, as well as those of dozens of other international organizations, Belgium draws on a multilingual, well-educated workforce that most countries can only dream of. But recent political problems, especially the inability of national politicians to form governing coalitions that last more than a year, are casting a shadow over Belgium's business-friendly credentials.
No. 23 Taiwan
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -10
Real Per Capita GDP: $30,254
Real GDP Growth: 0.1%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 27
Government Efficiency: 18
Business Efficiency: 22
Infrastructure: 23
Over the last five years, Taiwan has slipped 12 spots in the competitive rankings, to No. 23, including a 10-place drop this year. Growing competition from regional rivals, especially mainland China, has hurt the island's relative competitiveness. But don't count Taiwan out: A versatile workforce, combined with state-of-the-art infrastructure, still make it one of Asia Pacific's leading economies.
No. 24 Israel
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -4
Real Per Capita GDP: $26,642
Real GDP Growth: 4.0%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 38
Government Efficiency: 23
Business Efficiency: 20
Infrastructure: 18
With a thriving entrepreneurial sector, Israel racks up a major share of venture capital investment in the Europe/Mideast/Africa region. Strong links to Silicon Valley and a tech-savvy workforce have ensured Tel Aviv is an R&D hub for many international companies. Recently, global automaker Renault Nissan invested in an Israeli electric car project, one of the world's first nationwide attempts to replace gas-powered cars.
No. 25 Chile
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +1
Real Per Capita GDP: $14,176
Real GDP Growth: 3.2%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 35
Government Efficiency: 13
Business Efficiency: 14
Infrastructure: 36
Holding the world's largest reserves of copper, the South American country amassed huge pools of capital during the recent commodity bubble. Yet unlike some of its more fiscally irresponsible neighbors, Chile has maintained tight controls over its purse strings. That has allowed local officials to spend significant sums in the last 18 months to counteract the global economic downturn and helped slightly lift Chile's global competitiveness ranking.
No. 26 Thailand
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +1
Real Per Capita GDP: $8,013
Real GDP Growth: 2.6%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 14
Government Efficiency: 17
Business Efficiency: 25
Infrastructure: 42
Like its neighbor Malaysia, Thailand has improved its global competitiveness by keeping a tight lid on overhead. Labor and business costs are some of the lowest in all the countries surveyed. To compete against larger rivals, Malaysia must now increase its overall productivity levels, which rank near the bottom among the countries in this year's study.
No. 27 South Korea
Change Since 2008 Ranking: +4
Real Per Capita GDP: $25,268
Real GDP Growth: 2.2%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 45
Government Efficiency: 36
Business Efficiency: 29
Infrastructure: 20
Given its economic success and technical sophistication, it's surprising that Korea isn't higher-ranked in competitiveness. It enjoys one of the highest rates of broadband penetration in the world and has a technology infrastructure superior to regional rivals China and Japan. But while the local business community is highly efficient, a heavy burden of government regulation continues to hamper foreign investment.
No. 28 France
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -3
Real Per Capita GDP: $33,693
Real GDP Growth: 0.7%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 17
Government Efficiency: 46
Business Efficiency: 42
Infrastructure: 14
France boasts one of the most educated workforces in the world and ranked No. 5 in the survey for foreign direct investment. Yet Europe's third-largest economy fares less well in crucial issues such as labor flexibility and bureaucratic hurdles to start a business. France also faces a worryingly high deficit as officials try to prop up local industrial sectors.
No. 29 Czech Republic
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -1
Real Per Capita GDP: $24,688
Real GDP Growth: 3.2%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 25
Government Efficiency: 31
Business Efficiency: 36
Infrastructure: 25
The global recession has hit Central and Eastern Europe hard, but the Czech Republic has weathered the storm better than some of its neighbors. A relatively strong manufacturing base closely tied to Western European markets has been a major factor in the Czech Republic's better-than-average economic performance, as have recent government attempts to streamline business regulation.
No. 30 India
Change Since 2008 Ranking: -1
Real Per Capita GDP: $2,874
Real GDP Growth: 7.1%
World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 12
Government Efficiency: 35
Business Efficiency: 11
Infrastructure: 57
The economic power of India's 1.1-billion-strong population will only grow in time. So far, the country has benefited from a large, IT-savvy workforce that has led major international companies to start operations from Bangalore to Mumbai. Analysts also hope the recent reelection of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will provide greater political stability that could encourage needed bureaucratic reform, infrastructure buildout, and additional foreign investment.
Immigrant Bosses Around the World
Among the thorny issues President Barack Obama faces this year is immigration reform. The current system of managing immigration flows into the U.S. is widely acknowledged to be failing, with some 11.5 million undocumented workers in the country, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. President Obama wants to turn many of these illegal immigrants into citizens, but the shaky economy and high unemployment rate make such liberalization of policy a hot-button issue. This despite the fact that immigrants run many of the top companies in the U.S. Here's a look (arranged in alphabetical order) at some of the men and women who left their home countries and went on to become some of the world's most successful corporate leaders.
U.S. Immigration Battle Heats Up
With Congress set to consider bills that deal with illegal immigrants and H-1B visa abuse, President Obama may find immigration reform a tough promise to keep
From Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-born 19th-century steel baron, to Roberto C. Goizueta, the Cuban exile who led Coca-Cola (KO) through most the 1980s and '90s, immigrants have been at the helm of many of America's top companies.
That's just as true today, even as politicians in Washington argue about whether to embark on immigration reform. Without immigrants, there would be no Google (GOOG), co-founded by Russian-born Sergey Brin. Two of the three people who launched YouTube were immigrants, too: Steven Chen, originally from Taiwan, and Jawed Karim, born in Germany. Immigrants also helped start Yahoo! (YHOO), eBay (EBAY), and Sun Microsystems (JAVA).
It's not just Silicon Valley that has depended on immigrants. They're also prominent in the world of finance, thanks to people like billionaire George Soros, former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn and Berkshire Hathaway's Ajit Jain (a possible successor to Warren Buffet.
Like Jain, many of the most successful immigrants in Corporate America today are from India. Indra Nooyi, who went to college in the southern Indian city of Chennai and earned an MBA in Kolkata, is the CEO of PepsiCo (PEP). Sanjay Jha, another Indian immigrant, is the co-CEO at Motorola (MOT). Vikram Pandit, born in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, is chairman and CEO of Citigroup (C).
Despite the successful role immigrants have played in U.S. business, many Americans are worried about losing their jobs to immigrants or having their work outsourced to foreigners in the U.S. on short-term visas. That could make it more difficult for President Barack Obama to keep his promise to push for immigration reform. On Aug. 20, the President met with pro-immigrant activists in the White House and pledged not to let fights over health-care reform and energy legislation put the immigration issue on the back burner. Obama is hoping to do better than President George W. Bush, who failed in his effort last year to pass immigration reform.
Dueling Reform Bills in Congress
The battle could start heating up as soon as next month. Obama is likely to support the efforts of Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Senate's immigration subcommittee, who has said he will introduce new reform legislation this autumn that will crack down on illegal immigration. "We must create a system that converts the current flow of unskilled illegal immigrants into the United States into a more manageable and controlled flow of legal immigrants who can be absorbed by our economy," the senator said in a speech outlining his proposals in June.
However, he and Obama face some tough challenges. For instance, Illinois senator and fellow Democrat Richard Durbin is a co-sponsor of a bill to crack down on alleged abuse of H-1B visas, which allow companies to employ workers from overseas for limited stays.
Durbin and the bill's co-sponsor, Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), have introduced legislation to limit the granting of H-1Bs, visas that are especially popular among U.S. tech companies like Microsoft (MSFT) as well as Indian IT services outsourcers like Infosys (INFY) and Wipro (WIT). The proposal has led to intense opposition in India. "It's a very drastic initiative," Wipro Chairman Azim Premji told BusinessWeek in May. "It will choke the United States of talent coming in."
Ironically, the latest immigration fight will take place at a time when the U.S. has become a less attractive destination for many immigrants. Because of the recession, there's less demand for low-cost labor. But the U.S. is also turning out to be less attractive for highly educated workers, too. James Chu, chairman and CEO of ViewSonic, the privately held maker of PC monitors, immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan in 1986 and launched the company that became Walnut (Calif.)-based ViewSonic a few years later. However, he says, "if today I were young, I would probably choose China." For young entrepreneurs around the world, "if you want a good environment and a good education, the U.S. of course will still be the choice for a long period of time," says Chu, speaking while on a business trip in China. However, "if you want a place that's a challenge and exciting, China is probably the one."
American universities are feeling the impact of the declining appeal of the U.S. for potential immigrants. According to a new report by the Council of Graduate Schools, admission offers to prospective students from outside the U.S. fell 3% this year. Fueling the drop was a decline in interest from India and Korea, with Indian admissions falling 12% and Korean admissions down 9%.
One reason for the fall is the increasingly aggressive efforts by universities in Asia to recruit students who might have gone to the U.S. to study. "With the center of gravity in the global economy shifting to Asia, it's just natural for students from the U.S. and Europe to seek Asian experiences and networking opportunities through business schools in Asia," Suh Kil Soo, associate dean at Yonsei University Graduate School of Business, told BusinessWeek in May.
1.Shai Agassi
Better Place CEO
Born: 1968, Israel
Now lives in U.S.
The former SAP executive launched Project Better Place in 2007 with the goal of building electric cars and creating a network of recharging stations to support them. Agassi, who studied at the Technion, the Haifa-based school that is Israel's premier technology institute, is still an Israeli citizen but is now based in Silicon Valley. He has recruited Nissan and Renault Chairman Carlos Ghosn to support his project.
2.Ralph Alvarez
McDonald's president and chief operating officer
Born: 1955, Cuba
Now lives in U.S.
Alvarez's family settled in Florida after leaving Cuba, where his father was an airline executive. His mother taught at the University of Miami, where Alvarez received his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1976. (Today he's on the school's International Advisory Board as well as its President's Council.) He worked for Burger King and Wendy's before joining McDonald's (MCD) in 1994.
3.Sergey Brin
Google co-founder
Born: 1973, Russia
Now lives in U.S.
Google's (GOOG) co-founder grew up in Moscow during the Brezhnev era, when anti-Semitism flourished. After suffering from policies that forbade Jews from certain positions, Brin's parents moved the family to the U.S. in 1979. Brin studied at the University of Maryland and went on to launch Google with Larry Page when both were students at Stanford. Like Page, he is an investor in electric car pioneer Tesla Motors.
4.Morris Chang
TSMC chairman
Born: 1931, China
Now lives in Taiwan
Known as the father of Taiwan's chip industry, Chang grew up in China but left for the U.S. during the Chinese civil war in the late 1940s. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from MIT and a PhD from Stanford, worked at Texas Instruments for 25 years, and became a U.S. citizen before moving to Taiwan to launch Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSM) in 1987. Since then, he has built the company into the world's largest foundry, or made-to-order chip manufacturer.
5.John Chen
Sybase chairman, CEO, and president
Born: 1955, Hong Kong
Now lives in U.S.
Hong Kong-born Chen has been the boss at Sybase (SY) since 1998. A naturalized U.S. citizen, he got a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Brown and a master's from Caltech. He is a member of Walt Disney's board of directors and sits on the President's Export Council, a U.S. advisory body on international trade.
6.Pehong Chen
BroadVision chairman, president, and CEO
Born: 1957, Taiwan
Now lives in U.S.
Chen is one of the most successful immigrants in Silicon Valley. He founded BroadVision (BVSN) in 1993 and before that was founder of Gain Technology (acquired by Sybase in 1992) and co-founder of Siebel Systems (acquired by Oracle in 2005). Chen has a PhD in computer science from Berkeley and is active in China, where he sits on the boards of Internet portal Sina (SINA) and software developer Ufida.
7.Steve Chen
YouTube co-founder
Born: 1978, Taiwan
Now lives in U.S.
YouTube's co-founder spent his early childhood in Taiwan, moving to the U.S. as a teen to attend high school. He went on to the University of Illinois and then PayPal. At the eBay-owned company he met Jawed Karim and Chad Hurley, with whom he launched YouTube in 2005. After the video-sharing service became hugely popular, Google (GOOG) acquired it a year later, earning Chen a payday of stock worth $326 million.
8.James Chu
ViewSonic chairman and CEO
Born: 1957, Taiwan
Now lives in U.S.
Taiwan-born Chu immigrated to the U.S. in 1986 to become president of U.S. operations at Taiwanese keyboard manufacturer Behavior Tech Computer. The following year he started Keypoint Technology, specializing in power supplies, keyboards, and PC monitors and other computer peripherals. In 1990, the company started making monitors under the brand name ViewSonic, and Chu soon made that the name of the company.
9.Francisco D'Souza
Cognizant CEO
Born: 1968, Kenya
Now lives in U.S.
D'Souza was born in Nairobi but went to college at the University of East Asia (now called the University of Macau). He then moved to the U.S. and received an MBA from Carnegie Mellon. He worked at Dun & Bradstreet for four years before joining Cognizant when the outsourcing company got started as a spin-off from Dun & Bradstreet in 1994.
10.Mohamed al-Fayed
Harrods Department Store executive chairman
Born: 1933, Egypt
Now lives in Britain
Fayed grew up in Alexandria and first went into business by launching a company that operated ferries in the Mediterranean and Red seas and in the late 1950s he and his two brothers moved their headquarters to Genoa. In the 1960s Fayed won business working on construction projects in Dubai. In 1985 he acquired control of Harrods. The British government has rejected the controversial businessman's attempts to gain citizenship. Fayed's son Dodi was Princess Diana's boyfriend and died with her in a 1997 car crash in Paris.
11.George Feldenkreis
Perry Ellis International
Born: 1935, Cuba
Now lives in U.S.
Feldenkreis, born in Havana to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, joined the exodus from Castro's Cuba in 1961, settling in Miami. There, he launched a company that specialized in school uniforms and tropical-themed shirts. The company, Supreme International, changed its name to Perry Ellis International after acquiring the brand in 1999. Feldenkreis is the founder of the Universal National Bank of Miami and is on the board of the University of Miami and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. His son Oscar is the company's president and chief operating officer.
12.Carlos Ghosn
Renault chairman, president, and CEO
Nissan chairman
Born: 1954, Brazil
Now lives in France and Japan
Ghosn, credited for turning around first Nissan (NSANY) and later Renault (RENA.PA), spent his early childhood in Brazil and then moved to Lebanon, his parents' home country. He moved to France to attend the École Polytechnique and the École des Mines de Paris. Ghosn worked in the tire industry for nearly two decades before joining Renault in 1996. He became boss at Nissan, in which the French automaker owned a large stake, in 1999 and in 2005 took the helm at Renault itself.
13.Andy Grove
Intel co-founder and former chairman
Born: 1936, Hungary
Now lives in U.S.
Grove wrote about his childhood, living as a Jew under first Nazi and then Communist rule, in his 2001 memoir, Swimming Across. Following the Soviet-backed crackdown in Hungary in 1956, Grove left Budapest for the U.S. He studied at City College of New York and Berkeley and worked at Fairchild Semiconductor before becoming one of the first employees at Intel (INTC), where he rose to become CEO and chairman.
14.Rajat Gupta
Genpact chairman
Born: 1948, India
Now lives in U.S.
The former managing director worldwide and senior partner worldwide for McKinsey & Co., Gupta maintains strong ties with his native India. Since 2007 he has been chairman of Genpact (G), which got its start in 1997 as the India-based business-process services operation of GE Capital. He is also chairman of the Indian School of Business and the India AIDS Initiative of the Gates Foundation, co-chairman of the Pan IIT Alumni Board, and a member of the American India Foundation.
15.William Heinecke
Minor International chairman and CEO
Born: 1949, U.S.
Now lives in Thailand
There are plenty of immigrants who move from Asia to the U.S. Heinecke is one of the rare examples of an immigrant going in the opposite direction. The U.S.-born businessman moved with his parents to Thailand as a child and he launched the Minor Group as a teenager. He later surrendered his U.S. passport and became a Thai citizen. Today he runs the country's largest operator of hotels and restaurants, including the Thai franchises of Four Seasons and Burger King.
16.Jen-Hsun Huang
Nvidia CEO
Born: 1963, Taiwan
Now lives in U.S.
The Oneida Baptist Institute in the hills of southeastern Kentucky is about as far from the bustling streets of Taipei as you can get. The Christian school is where Huang studied when he first arrived in the U.S. He later moved to the West Coast, getting a bachelor's degree from Oregon State and a master's from Stanford. He co-founded Nvidia (NVDA), a semiconductor-design company that specializes in graphics chips, in 1993.
17.Arianna Huffington
Huffington Post founder and editor-in-chief
Born: 1950, Greece
Now lives in U.S.
Huffington moved from her native Greece when she was 16 to Britain, where she studied economics at Cambridge. She first made a name for herself in the U.S. as a conservative columnist and wife of a millionaire Republican congressman from California, but after divorcing Michael Huffington in 1997, she shifted to the left and in 2005 launched the Huffington Post, a liberal-leaning news and blog site.
18.Ajit Jain
Berkshire Hathaway reinsurance division president
Born: 1951, India
Now lives in U.S.
Who could replace the Oracle of Omaha? How about the Oracle of Orissa? Speculation about a replacement for Warren Buffett often focuses on Jain. Born in Orissa, a state in eastern India, Jain studied engineering at IIT Kharagpur and worked for IBM in India before going to Harvard for an MBA and joining consultants McKinsey in 1978. He has been with Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) since 1986. In May, Buffett told investors Jain was irreplaceable, saying "Ajit is needed, and we won't find a substitute for him."
19.Sanjay Jha
Motorola co-CEO
Born: 1963, India
Now lives in U.S.
Jha has one of the toughest assignments in the world of telecom. The Indian-born engineer (with a PhD from Scotland's University of Strathclyde) became head of Motorola's (MOT) mobile devices division last year and is now trying to restore the company's position among the world's telecom elite. Before joining Motorola in 2008, Jha spent 14 years at Qualcomm, becoming COO in 2006.
20.Andrea Jung
Avon CEO
Born: 1958, Canada
Now lives in U.S.
Regularly named on lists of the world's most influential women in business, Jung was born in Toronto to Chinese immigrant parents and graduated magna cum laude from Princeton. She joined Avon (AVP) in 1994 from Neiman Marcus, where she was an executive vice-president, and within five years became Avon's CEO. She took the additional title of chairman in 2001.
21.Yue-Sai Kan
House of Yue-Sai founder
Born: 1949, China
Now lives in U.S. and China
Kan, whose father was a traditional Chinese painter, grew up in Hong Kong. After receiving a bachelor's degree in music from Brigham Young University-Hawaii, she moved to New York and started a trading company with her sister. Kan also began producing TV shows and in 1984 hosted a live broadcast from China for PBS, the public television network. The next year she became host for a show on China's state-owned CCTV network and in 1992 launched Yue-Sai Kan Cosmetics, which she sold to L'Oreal in 2004. Her company Yue-Sai Kan Productions supports the development of TV and film in China and her House of Yue-Sai operates a home-furnishings store in Shanghai.
22.Jawed Karim
YouTube co-founder
Born: 1979, Germany
Now lives in U.S.
Karim doesn't get as much publicity as YouTube's other co-founders, since he left the startup to attend graduate school at Stanford shortly after its launch. Karim—born to a German mother and a Bangladeshi father—was a co-worker with Steve Chen and Chad Hurley at PayPal when the three first began working on the video-sharing service. When Google (GOOG) bought YouTube, Kareem received shares worth more than $64 million. He is now one of the backers of San Francisco-based Dotblu, which runs a "social betting service" designed to let people turn Twitter and Facebook status updates into a game.
23.Gail Kelly
Westpac Banking Corp. CEO Born: 1956, South Africa
Now lives in Australia
Kelly is one of the most powerful businesswomen in Australia. The South African native moved to Oz in 1997 and became a citizen in 2001. In South Africa, she had been an executive at Nedcor Bank, one of the country's largest, and after moving to Australia she worked at Commonwealth Bank and St. George Bank, where she was CEO, before joining Westpac (WBC.AX) in 2008 as CEO.
24.Vinod Khosla
Kleiner Perkins general partner
Born: 1955, India
Now lives in U.S.
Khosla is one of the most successful Indian immigrants in Silicon Valley, but he begins the bio on his Web site with a failure: After studying engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, he tried—and failed—to launch a soy milk company for people without refrigerators. Khosla then moved to the U.S. and earned a master's degree in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from Stanford. In 1982 he founded Sun Microsystems and in 1986 joined famed venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins as a general partner. In 2004 he launched Khosla Ventures to support his interest in issues related to the environment and poverty in the developing world.
25.Li Ka-shing
Hutchison Whampoa chairman
Born: 1928, China
Now lives in Hong Kong
Li moved to Hong Kong from nearby Guangdong province in southern China during World War II. Today he is Hong Kong's richest man, controlling a global property, telecom, ports and retail empire—not bad for a man who got his start selling plastic flowers. Through the Li Ka-shing Foundation, he is a major supporter of Shantou University, located near his hometown in Guangdong.
26.Frank Lowy
Westfield chairman
Born: 1933, Slovakia
Now lives in Australia
Lowy, one of the richest men in Australia, left Europe as a refugee after World War II and fought in the Haganah, the predecessor to the Israeli army, during Israel's War of Independence. A few years later, he moved to Australia, where he co-founded Westfield (WDC.AX) and built it into one of the world's top developers of shopping centers.
27.Nadir Mohamed
Rogers Communications CEO
Born: 1956, Tanzania
Now lives in Canada
Mohamed spent his childhood in Tanzania, the son of Ismaili Muslim parents originally from India. The family later emigrated to Canada and Mohamed studied accounting at the University of British Columbia. He joined Rogers (RCI), one of Canada's top telecom carriers, in 2000 and took the CEO job of the Toronto-based company in March of this year.
28.Indra Nooyi
PepsiCo CEO
Born: 1955, India
Now lives in U.S.
Pepsi's (PEP) boss, who is also the chairman of the U.S.-India Business Council, attended Madras Christian College in southern India and received an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Kolkata (Calcutta) before studying at Yale, where she got a master's in public and private management. Prior to joining Pepsi in 1994, she worked for ABB, Motorola, Boston Consulting Group and Johnson & Johnson. Nooyi was Pepsi's chief financial officer for five years before becoming president and CEO in 2006.
29.Pierre Omidyar
eBay founder and chairman
Born: 1967, France
Now lives in U.S.
The founder of eBay is an Iranian-American who moved with his parents from Paris to the U.S. as a child. After earning an engineering degree from Tufts, he headed west to the Bay Area, where he launched an auction site in 1995. Two years he later named it eBay. An active philanthropist through his foundation, the Omidyar Network, he and his wife, Pam, have donated $100 million to Tufts to create the Omidyar-Tufts Microfinance Fund, which aims to support the growth of lending to the poor. The gift is the largest in the history of the university.
30.Paul Oreffice
Fairfield Homes chairman
Born: 1927, Italy
Now lives in U.S.
Born in Venice, Oreffice fled war-torn Italy in 1940 with his family, moving to Ecuador and then, in 1945, to the U.S. to attend Purdue. He joined Dow Chemical after serving in the U.S. Army and went on to become the company's president and CEO in 1978. He later became chairman and retired from Dow Chemical in 1992. In addition to serving as chairman of Fairfield Homes, a developer of retirement communities, Oreffice is chairman of the National Parkinson's Foundation.
31.Vikram Pandit
Citigroup CEO
Born: 1957, India
Now lives in U.S.
The CEO of embattled financial giant Citi (C) was born in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. His father was an executive at a pharmaceutical company, and at age 16 Pandit moved to the U.S. to study engineering at Columbia, where he received several degrees, including a PhD. Pandit is now on the school's board of directors and also serves on the board of the Indian School of Business. Pandit became CEO of Citi in December 2007.
32.Haim Saban
Saban Capital Group chairman and CEO
Born: 1944, Egypt
Now lives in U.S.
Saban moved from his native Alexandria to Israel when he was 12 and after attending agricultural school and serving in the Israeli army, he moved to France in 1975 and launched a record company. In 1983 he moved once again, this time to the U.S., where he developed a reputation as a premier Hollywood dealmaker thanks to the success of shows like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Saban teamed up with Rupert Murdoch to create Fox Family Worldwide and pocketed $1.6 billion when Walt Disney (DIS) bought it in 2001. Since then, he and investors have bought control of Univision Communications and Bezeq, Israel's largest telecom operator.
33.George Soros
Soros Fund Management chairman
Born: 1930, Hungary
Now lives in U.S.
The hedge fund billionaire grew up in Budapest and, after surviving the Nazi occupation of Hungary during World War II, escaped for the West in 1946. He moved first to Britain, where he worked as a waiter to put himself through the London School of Economics, and then in 1956 to the U.S. He launched what became the Quantum Fund in 1973. In 1993 he founded the Open Society Institute to promote democratic institutions around the world.
34.Howard Stringer
Sony chairman, president, and CEO
Born: 1942, Britain
Now lives in U.S. and Japan
In 2005, what was once unthinkable happened: A gaijin took the helm at Japan's premier electronics company when Stringer took over from Noboyuki Idei and became Sony's (SNE) chairman and CEO. The Welsh-born Stringer moved to the U.S. in 1965 and soon joined the Army and went to fight in Vietnam, winning the Commendation Medal for meritorious achievement. He became a citizen in 1985. Before joining Sony, Stringer worked as a producer at CBS News, where he won nine Emmy Awards, and later ran the network.
35.Lip-Bu Tan
Walden International founder and chairman
Born: 1960, Malaysia
Now lives in U.S.
One of the top venture capitalists bridging Asia and Silicon Valley, Tan founded Walden International in 1987. Today, the San Francisco-based Walden is a $1.9 billion VC fund that has invested in companies such as Chinese-language portal Sina.com (SINA). Tan, who has a master's degree in nuclear engineering from MIT and an MBA from the University of San Francisco, is on the board of Sina as well as Flextronics and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.
36.Harry Triguboff
Meriton chairman
Born: 1933, China
Now lives in Australia
Australian property magnate Triguboff's parents were Russian Jews who fled to northeastern China after the rise of Lenin. Before moving to Australia and launching Meriton, the privately held company that is the premier developer of residential properties in Sydney, he lived in Israel for seven years and is a major supporter of charities in the country.
37.James Wolfensohn
Wolfensohn & Co. chairman
Born: 1933, Australia
Now lives in U.S.
Wolfensohn, who spent a decade as president of the World Bank, is now much sought after as an advisor to governments and companies worldwide. Since leaving the bank in 2005, he has advised on global strategy at Citigroup (C) and given counsel to Beijing's sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp., and the government of Kazakhstan. The University of Sydney graduate moved to the U.S. in the 1950s to attend Harvard Business School and was general partner at Salomon Smith Barney before launching Wolfensohn & Co. in 1981. After leaving the World Bank, he was special envoy to the Middle East for the Quartet and contributed his own money for Palestinians to purchase Israeli greenhouses left behind after Israel's troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip, but he resigned in April 2006.
38.Jerry Yang
Yahoo co-founder and former CEO
Born: 1968, Taiwan
Now lives in U.S.
Following the death of his father, Yang and his family moved to the U.S. and settled in the Bay Area of California. Yang, who co-founded Yahoo (YHOO) with Stanford classmate David Filo in 1995, is married to a fellow immigrant: Wife Akiko Yamazaki grew up in Costa Rica. He endured a rocky term as CEO from June 2007 to January 2009, when he stepped down and was replaced by Carol Bartz.
39.Allan Zeman
Lan Kwai Fong Holdings chairman
Born: 1949, Germany
Now lives in Hong Kong
For years before Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule in 1997, many local residents worried about the future were keen to get Canadian citizenship as a hedge. Zeman, who was born in Germany but grew up in Montreal, went in the other direction. Having built a fortune as the head of a trading company and developer of Hong Kong's top entertainment district, Zeman renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2008 and became a Chinese citizen.
