People to Watch in International Business

By Sean Gregory Sunday, Oct. 20, 2002
    • --MAZIN RAMADAN
    A Long Way from Libya

    While growing up in Tripoli, Ramadan, 34, developed video games for the neighborhood kids. Today the CEO of 4thpass, a Seattle-based software start-up, could just buy them an arcade. Last month Motorola acquired 4thpass — which provides Java services to wireless-phone carriers in South Korea, Spain and the U.S.--for more than $20 million. Ramadan will stay at 4thpass for a year to help integrate operations.

    --ANA PATRICIA BOTIN
    Spanish Bank Chief

    She was a J.P. Morgan vice president at 25 and led a major Spanish bank into Latin America 10 years later. Now chairwoman of Banesto, Spain's third largest commercial bank, Botin, 42, will soon run a public company. By the end of the year, Banesto's parent, Santander Central Hispano (SCH), plans to sell shares representing 10% of Banesto to raise about $600 million. Botin's next step? Probably to the helm of SCH, Spain's largest bank. Her father Emilio Botin is the current chairman.

    --JEAN-FRANCOIS DECAUX
    Outdoor-Ad Man

    As chairman of Europe's top outdoor-ad firm, JCDecaux, he has led an aggressive U.S. expansion of his "street furniture" business, which provides cities with bus shelters and public toilets in exchange for ad rights to the structures. By December, JCDecaux will start blanketing Chicago with 2,000 bus shelters in a deal expected to generate $850 million in ad revenue over 20 years. The firm has a similar agreement in Los Angeles, and Decaux, 43, is offering 3,500 shelters to New York City.

    --JONATHAN SIMPSON-BINT
    Tech Publisher

    The president of Future Network U.S.A., Simpson-Bint, 35, has engineered an impressive turnaround. In February 2001, Future shuttered six magazines, sold Business 2.0 to Time Inc. and cut staff from 500 to 100. Simpson-Bint then refocused on gaming titles, including Official Xbox Magazine, and the company turned its first profit in June. It plans a new series of how-to computing magazines this spring.

    --DEBRA KELLY-ENNIS
    Saab's Chief Saleswoman

    During her third week on the job, Kelly-Ennis, 45, the new president of Saab Cars U.S.A., visited more than 100 dealers in meetings across the country. This wasn't just a get-to-know-you tour. Kelly-Ennis needs to drum up interest in Saab's redesigned 9-3 sports sedan, which will roll out in the U.S. over the next few months. The Houston native arrived at Saab after a stint at Chevrolet, where her strong relationships with dealers helped the lagging S-10 truck recapture market share.