People To Watch In International Business

By Michele Orecklin

YUE-SAI KAN Cosmetics Queen

She divides her time between New York City and Shanghai, but Kan, 52, is a year-round celebrity in her native China. Her self-named cosmetics line designed for Asian women, a joint venture with Coty, is one of the top-selling brands in Asia, and she has written three books on beauty and etiquette. More recently she introduced a children's doll with Asian features and a hairdo that closely resemble her own. The doll is so successful in China it has spawned its own comic strip.

MARK WALKER International Lawyer

In the late 1990s, Walker, 60, a partner based in New York City with the law firm Cleary Gottlieb, helped the South Korean government stave off default by successfully renegotiating its bank loans. Now he is helping the South Korean microchip maker Hynix sustain its financial health. Walker was recently hired to advise the company in its discussions--including talk of a possible merger--with U.S.-based chipmaking rival Micron Technology.

MARJORIE SCARDINO Press Baroness

The CEO of British media company Pearson, Scardino is tackling the company's debt by ridding it of noncore businesses and focusing on education and consumer publishing. Last month, Pearson sold its stake in broadcaster RTL, after having previously dispensed with interests in Royal Doulton china and Madame Tussaud's waxworks, among others.

CLAUDIO DEL VECCHIO Bespoke Businessman

Injecting some testosterone into his Retail Brand Alliance holding company (which includes such women's chains as Casual Corner and Petite Sophisticate), del Vecchio bought the venerable if fraying male clothier Brooks Brothers. After years of working for the eyewear conglomerate Luxottica, founded by his father, del Vecchio, 44, is asserting his own style.

ROXANNE AUSTIN Network Operator

Named president of Hughes Electronics-owned DirecTV last June, Austin, 44, was tapped to keep the sagging satellite network aloft. This month the company reported it had added 405,000 customers in the fourth quarter of last year. The challenge now: to keep the momentum and protect her staff, as EchoStar seeks to acquire DirecTV.