Age: 77
Company: Procter & Gamble
Artzt supercharged Procter & Gamble's international growth throughout the '80s and doubled profits during his five years as CEO. After retiring in 1995, he took the helm of an Italian family pasta company. "For three years I spent eight days a month in Parma," he recalls. "I got them to invest in manufacturing in the U.S., and we took Barilla from a little import brand to the No. 1 pasta brand in the U.S." Now Artzt is a senior advisor at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, helping the private-equity partners oversee the companies they own. "Boy, I've learned a lot," he says. "I thought we did a great job unlocking value at P&G, but we had a much longer time horizon. At P&G we'd never think of selling a business to make money; we'd sell only for strategic reasons. In private equity, buying businesses, improving them, and selling is what you do."
