TIME/CNN presents Global Influentials, the top 25 business people worldwide

MARC ASNIN/CORBIS SABA FOR TIME

6. Sandy Weill
Citigroup CEO

Sandy Weill has a middle initial but no middle name—one of the few things in life that he has to do without. The consummate dealmaker shook the financial world in 1998, when his Travelers Corp.. agreed to buy banking giant Citicorp for $72 billion. In one bold stroke, his financial-services empire, renamed Citigroup, went global, with about 100 million customers in 100 countries. To get the deal done, Weill, 68, persuaded Washington lawmakers to end restrictions that prevented U.S. firms from offering both insurance and commercial banking. That paved the way for U.S.-based global financial conglomerates, which as they evolve have Weill to thank—and Weill to chase.

CNN Video: Watch a short profile of Sandy Weill
Company Web Site: www.citigroup.com

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