No. 7 Kun-Hee Lee, chairman and CEO, Samsung Electronics

Last year's position: Not placed

Samsung is a big player that's just getting bigger. One Agenda Setter panellist describes the company as "head and shoulders above everyone else", including IBM, Microsoft, Philips, Siemens and Vodafone.

Educated at Waseda University in Japan and George Washington University in the US, Kun-Hee Lee is the man behind the Korean powerhouse, breaking into the top 10 for this debut appearance on the list.

The panel noted Samsung's success at making inroads into the communications equipment and mobile spaces, and the firm's rapid profit growth in the past year.

Samsung has a strong alliance with Korean telecoms provider KT, in line with the government's long-term strategy to nurture the domestic information economy. And the firm looks set to become a leader in the convergence of services and functions in mobile phones, with Digital Media Broadcasting already live in parts of Seoul.

If there's one company that can give the mobile giants Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia a run for their money, the panel bets it's Samsung.

In addition, Lee's goal of making Samsung the world's leading consumer electronics brand has just about come true.

Praised for his gutsy management style, Lee is powerful in his own right, with a net worth in excess of $4bn, making him one of the richest men in the world. Though he keeps a low profile, he's the sort that would make waves wherever he landed - the true sign of an Agenda Setter.