People to Watch In International Business

By Jeremy Caplan

Wan Jianhua BANKING ON TRAVEL About 31 million travelers from China ventured abroad in 2005, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. The country's bank-card association, China UnionPay (CUP), has focused on helping Chinese tourists take advantage of their growing buying power. Led by CEO Wan Jianhua, CUP has partnered with Discover to enable tourists to use American ATMs. As the Chinese travel more and spend more--$19 billion in 2004--CUP is inking deals with European banks as well. "With an intensified marketing campaign, public recognition of CUP will accelerate," Wan says.

Ronald A. Williams ENSURING A HEALTHY TRANSITION Given that Aetna's stock was up more than 50% in 2005 alone under John Rowe, who is retiring, new CEO Ronald A. Williams has a tough act to follow. But rather than focus on the health insurer's Wall Street performance and the growth of its medical membership, which now tops 14 million, Williams is seeking to chip away at complex problems. "We have work to do with the 45 million people who are uninsured in this country," says Williams. To help bridge that gap, he is touting, among other initiatives, a program aimed at insuring college and university students. Williams, 56, is the first black CEO in Aetna's history.

Ken May THE JOURNEYMAN LEADER In nearly 24 years of working at FedEx, Ken May has had 13 assignments. Now that he is starting as CEO of FedEx Kinko's (FedEx bought Kinko's nearly two years ago), May, 45, won't reprint his resume anytime soon. He plans to build 3,000 FedEx Kinko's stores over the next five years, including 1,000 overseas. Many of the new locations will be just 2,000 sq. ft., a third as big as most current outlets. That will cut costs, and the result, May hopes, will boost morale and profit margins, which have been sagging. "At FedEx, we talk about walking barefoot 24 miles in the snow to deliver a customer's package," says May. "I want FedEx Kinko's employees to have a dose of that [spirit] as well."