CEO of Interal

Craig Barrett
Intel
3-year return: 318%
AGE: 59
CEO since: 1998
At least life at the top hasn't been dull for Barrett, the 25-year Intel veteran who stepped into the CEO slot at the beginning of 1998. Since then, the company has been blindsided by the sudden rise of the market for sub-$1,000 PCs, had its dirty laundry aired at the Microsoft antitrust trial, and settled a patent-infringement complaint by the U.S. Justice Department even as the feds continue to probe other Intel business practices. Worst of all, two Intel employees were murdered under horrifying circumstances in Uganda in early March. Throughout this trying time, Barrett has maintained his focus on Intel's manufacturing operations. For good reason: As microchips find their way into ever more non-PC devices, they will have to become even smaller and more versatile. "You need a guy like Barrett to manage that transition," says Cowen & Co. analyst Drew Peck.