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Michael Dell - Agenda Setters 2009

Name: Michael Dell

Title: Dell CEO

Position: 45 Last year: Not ranked

Why? Steering the computer maker through the recession

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While the computer hardware market may be on the wane, 2009 marks a return to the Agenda Setters list for Michael Dell.

Since founding the computer maker in 1984 with savings of just $1,000 he has become a trailblazer in the technology industry and was the youngest CEO ever to earn a ranking on the Fortune 500.

Generating the most excitement among Dell's forthcoming hardware line-up is the Latitude Z notebook, rumoured to have advanced wireless capabilities that possibly includes wireless charging; and Dell's Android-based smartphone, which is expected to launch in China.

Dell's latest move - snapping up IT services company Perot Systems for $3.9bn as it looks to expand beyond the PC business - shows that Dell is not just about hardware.

Dell himself has an input into the world's most influential business organisations, serving on the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and the executive committee of the International Business Council.

He also serves on the Technology CEO Council and the governing board of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India.