(FORTUNE Magazine) – RALPH H. THURMAN, 39 RORER GROUP INC. ''It's atypical for a human resources executive to get into general management,'' says Thurman. ''But I've had a lot of diverse experiences.'' Mostly a lot of experiences in human resources. The former Air Force fighter pilot worked in that department for Exxon, PepsiCo, and Datapoint. At Rorer, a $1-billion-a-year pharmaceuticals maker near Philadelphia, Thurman headed personnel and public affairs until he was promoted to executive vice president in January. Now part of the company's five-member operating committee, he directs corporate development and the $425 million domestic drug operation. He will also look for acquisitions -- to keep medium-size Rorer from itself being gobbled up in the still consolidating pharmaceuticals industry.

MARTHA CLARK BRILEY, 39 PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE CO. OF AMERICA Briley heads Prudential Power Funding Associates, the newest investment subsidiary of the largest U.S. insurance company. Formed in January, Power Funding inherited $5.7 billion of investments from two larger subsidiaries. Prudential is giving Briley's group an additional $1 billion to invest this year, half of which will go to electric utilities. Higher-risk independent companies, such as cogenerators and alternative-energy producers, will get the other half. The Pru's highest-ranking woman, Briley had been the company's treasurer for six years. Says she: ''Traditionally Prudential has focused on the amount it invests, but I'm more interested in return on assets.''

JIM FAROOQUEE, 34 CMS ENHANCEMENTS INC. Farooquee immigrated from Pakistan in 1976 with $40 and a civil engineering degree. By 1981 he had made enough money selling insurance and rugs to get into the computer business. That year he bought $12,000 in equipment on a credit card and started CMS with a partner; their Orange County, California, company is now the leading manufacturer of hard disk drives in the U.S., with a 26% market share. CMS announced record sales and earnings for the six months that ended in December. Sales rose 42% to $104.7 million, and profits climbed 203% to $2.5 million. ''We have had low profit margins because we wanted to have a very large market share,'' says CEO Farooquee. Now his goal is to triple pretax margins from the current level of under 2%.