Ray Ozzie - Agenda Setters 2008

Name: Ray Ozzie

Title: Microsoft chief software architect

Position: 23    Last year: Not ranked

Why? Embracing the cloud

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Along with Microsoft's chief research office Craig Mundie (at number 13), Ray Ozzie will influence the future direction of the software giant in the post-Bill Gates era.

Since 2006, Ozzie has overseen the company's technical strategy and product architecture but with Gates' departure, Ozzie will have more on his plate.

He's currently pushing Microsoft to provide more software and services via the internet in order to combat increasing competition from pure-online businesses - namely Google.

This year has seen progress in this area, with improvements to online office applications under the Microsoft Live banner and device interoperability initiatives in the shape of Live Mesh.

Microsoft now boasts more than one million customers for its office Live Workspace online collaboration tool.

The Agenda Setters panel also commended Ozzie's "immense support for continued R&D" at Microsoft, which it will no doubt draw on for years to come.

A previous Agenda Setter who took the top spot in 2006, Ozzie continues to make waves at one of the biggest tech players - and thus in the industry as a whole.