No. 5 Sam Palmisano, chairman and CEO, IBM

Last year's position: 27

It has been another defining year for Big Blue and it is the Agenda Setting leadership, guidance and vision of CEO Sam Palmisano that continues to drive IBM's success.

This past year, IBM sold its PC division to Chinese manufacturer Lenovo as part of the ongoing move to emphasise IT services. No-one knows better than Palmisano - who used to head up IBM's PC operations - where the real money lies in the future.

But there is more to the Lenovo sell-off than meets the eye and, with a significant number of IBM staff slated to become Lenovo employees, Palmisano has been extremely canny in creating the basis of a strong global alliance between the two companies that will put IBM in the perfect position to take advantage of China's emergence as a leading IT nation.

Financially IBM is also back on track after a poor first quarter following the reorganisation of its European operations and the relocation of some IBM Global Services operations to cheaper offshore locations in Asia and eastern Europe.

It is his vision for IBM Global Services, however, that marks Palmisano out as a true Agenda Setter as he continues to reshape the IT services and outsourcing landscape and put rivals such as EDS on the back foot.

As one Agenda Setter panellist explains: "IBM is still moving forward, with Palmisano creating a new model using his big resources."