Carlos Ghosn, President, Nissan Motor Corp. -- Top CEO, Asia:

TOKYO -- Japan Inc. didn't have a clue what it was in for when Carlos Ghosn stepped up to the podium Oct. 18, 1999, to present his plan for reviving Nissan Motor Co.

The appointment of the Brazilian-born manager as Nissan's COO after Renault SA took a controlling 36.8 percent stake in the Japanese carmaker had been shocking enough. Even so, the Japanese media and many industry executives expected Ghosn would follow Nissan's traditional pattern of pledging "utmost efforts" to turn the company around.

Not this time. Declaring that Nissan was "in bad shape," Ghosn laid out a Draconian restructuring. Five plants would close and 21,000 jobs would be cut, including 16,000 in Japan.

In addition, Nissan would cut its supply base in half and dissolve its keiretsu network of suppliers by selling its stakes in all but four of them.

CELEBRITY STATUS

Ghosn's full-fledged assault on Nissan's problems made it easier for other Japanese companies -- in the auto industry and beyond -- to tackle their problems directly.

His bold moves also made picking this year's Industry Leader of the Year easy. Automotive News reporters and editors chose Ghosn by a runaway margin.

He has become an instant celebrity in Japan. In a nation once known for the long hours of its salaryman worker bees, Ghosn picked up the nickname "7-11" for the hours he keeps. Nissan even fielded questions from fans who wanted to know where he bought his glasses, so they could buy similar ones.

Ghosn stands out not only for what he has done but also for what he continues to do.

He hasn't backpedaled an inch from the three goals of the Nissan Revival Plan. Those are to return to group profits in the fiscal year to March 31, 2001; achieve an operating profit of at least 4.5 percent of sales by the year to March 2003; and cut debt in half to $6.3 billion by March 2003.

BACK IN BLACK?

Nissan will return to the black in the current fiscal year, meeting the first of his three goals. It would be the first group profit for Nissan in four years and only the second black ink in eight years.

Ghosn has gone beyond just rescuing Nissan from possible bankruptcy, however. He has made it the company to watch.

On the product side, the success of the Xterra sport-utility has shown Nissan can design exciting vehicles, and more are on the way. Ghosn has voided Nissan's former design approval committees and lured away an Isuzu Motors Ltd. designer to put some zip into the looks of cars that typically had solid engineering under the skin.

Moreover, as DaimlerChrysler AG increasingly becomes a lesson in how not to do a cross-border auto merger, the Renault-Nissan alliance is emerging as the template for how to combine two carmakers from different cultures. Both Renault Chairman Louis Schweitzer and Nissan Chairman Yoshikazu Hanawa agree they want the two carmakers to cooperate and strengthen each other but with no attempt to merge the two brands.

Making it happen that way is Ghosn's responsibility. He effectively has been running the company on a daily basis for nearly a year and added the president's title in June.

How long will he keep it? He has vowed if he fails to deliver on even one of his three goals, he and the entire Nissan top management team will resign. He has no plans to resign.

Jac Nasser, CEO and president, Ford Motor Co. -- Top CEO, Europe, North America
CEO and president, Ford Motor Co.
His push to reposition Ford pays off for shareholders.
Enriches shareholders through stock-swap plan and Visteon Corp. spinoff while pushing for giant strides in e-commerce and customer handling. Headhunts best talent from competitors.

Vic Doolan, Executive director, North American marketing and distribution, Premier Automotive Group, Ford Motor Co. -- European Nameplate Executive
A Premier juggling act at Ford's luxury unit.
Is deftly handling the ticklish job of melding Lincoln Mercury, Volvo, Jaguar, Aston Martin and Land Rover into PAG without having direct authority over any.

Finbarr O'Neill, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor America-- Asian Nameplate Executive
He's putting Hyundai back on the fast track.
Has nurtured hangdog Hyundai back to credibility with huge sales gains, spawned by a gutsy 10-year powertrain warranty and a rise in quality scores.

Dick Colliver, Executive vice president, American Honda Motor Co. -- Sales
Still setting a sizzling pace.
Continued strong sales for Honda despite aging core products and the lack of a true sport-utility. Acura looks well on the road to a turnaround.

Liz Vanzura, Director of marketing and advertising, Volkswagen of America -- Marketing
Rocking on with the Beetles.
She engineered the marketing of the New Beetle in 1998, and she's still on a roll. Her latest effort: the Limited Edition Beetle, only available online.

Bob Austin, Director of advertising, Volvo Cars of North America -- Advertising
Playing it safe with edgy ads.
This Volvo lifer is doing a balancing act: jazzing up the company's image while maintaining its safety reputation.

Don Winkler, Chairman, Ford Motor Credit Co. -- Finance
Turning handicap into an advantage.
Dyslexia forces him to think unconventionally. His out-of-the-box approach helped push Ford Credit's first-quarter earnings up 18 percent.

Richard Parry-Jones, Group vice president, product development, Ford Motor Co. -- Engineering
Making a world-car work. Parry-Jones' touch with product enabled the Ford Focus to succeed in both North America and Europe.

John Herlitz, Senior vice president of product design, DaimlerChrysler Corp. -- Design
Pulled strings to make the PT Cruiser happen.
Overcame in-house skepticism to win approval for the PT Cruiser, now a mass-market halo for the Chrysler brand.

Teruyuki Minoura, President and CEO, Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America -- Manufacturing
No compromise on build quality.
His plants, always ranked high on J.D. Power's annual list of North America's highest-quality factories, score first, second and third on the latest survey.

Harold Kutner, Group vice president of worldwide purchasing, General Motors -- Purchasing
Need to cut costs? Put it all online.
This old-school exec switched gears last year when he took charge of moving all of GM's purchasing -- $87 billion a year -- to the Internet.

Frank Ferrara, Vice president of parts, Hyundai Motor America -- Parts and Service
Goes online with big parts of his job.
In an industry first, Hyundai put its parts inventory online for consumers and aftermarket repair shops, and walks the Internet talk.

Tom Davis, Group vice president, GM Truck Group, General Motors -- Truck Operations
His trucks hit solid home run.
GM cars may be down, but his truck group has hit a home run with a new family of full-sized trucks. Next up: crossovers, mid-sized SUVs and Isuzu-designed pickups.

Gary Cowger, Group vice president in charge of labor relations, General Motors -- Human Resources
Gives labor peace a chance at GM.
Served as the peacemaker between GM and the UAW. Got a four-year national contract and agreements with locals at 76 facilities. All without a strike.

Charlie Hudson, Manager of corporate and diversity communications for marketing, DaimlerChrysler Corp. -- Diversity Affairs
Making diversity a corporate mission.
From the Unity conference to poetry readings to ride and drives, DaimlerChrysler has spent millions to sponsor events aimed directly at multicultural audiences.

Steve Harris, Vice president of communications, General Motors -- Public Affairs
Silent giant finally speaks up.
He's opening up GM and bringing in fresh blood from DaimlerChrysler. Latest coup: press meetings in Tuscany with new CEO Rick Wagoner.

Roger Penske, Chairman and CEO, UnitedAuto Group -- Dealer of the Year
Orchestrates big-time Internet partnership.
His $17 million partnership with CarsDirect.com ensures that he'll be among the big winners in the battle for online car sales.

J.T. Battenberg, Chairman, president and CEO, Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. -- Tier 1 Supplier
Steady leadership brings solid results.
His first year at the helm of newly independent Delphi brought strong financial results, earning the confidence of Wall Street analysts, if not new economy investors.

Alice Miles, Interim co-CEO, Covisint -- E-business, business-to-business
Using the Net to cut costs.
Ford Motor Co. representative is a key player in developing a huge Internet frontier -- supply chain use of the Internet.

Shigeki Tomoyama, General manager, Gazoo.com division, Toyota Motor Corp. -- E-business, business-to-consumer
Creates some e-buzz for stodgy Toyota.
Creates a Web site to build loyalty and frequent customer contact by selling variety of goods, Amazon.com style. So successful GM wants in.