People to Watch in International Business

DEBORAH HOPKINS Former CFO of Lucent

She assumed the top finance spot at Lucent a year ago, after helping to revive Boeing. But Hopkins, 46, last month resigned from Lucent amid what colleagues describe as a personality clash with CEO Henry Schacht. Executives everywhere are wondering what's next for the abrasive Hopkins, who seemed on a rocket to the top. She left Lucent just as the company reported $3.7 billion in first-quarter losses, and entered merger talks with Alcatel.

SERGE TCHURUK CEO of Alcatel

He is regarded as a turnaround ace in France, where he has streamlined three bloated companies. But Tchuruk, 63, stumbled badly last week during a foray into the U.S. After weeks of upbeat merger talks, Tchuruk's bid to link his French telecom-equipment maker with troubled Lucent suddenly collapsed last Tuesday. Later that day, Alcatel popped another surprise: it warned that it expects a $2.57 billion loss for the quarter that ends in June.

MOHAMED ABDEL-SALAM AL-MAHGOUB Governor of Alexandria, Egypt

When he took Alexandria's top post three years ago, the ancient port city had long since lost its blush under corrupt leadership. But today al-Mahgoub, 65, is being credited with reinventing Alexandria as a thriving commercial center, attracting tens of billions of dollars of investment through reform, redevelopment and tax incentives. He has earned the nickname Magub: Arabic for "the beloved one."

ABBY JOHNSON President of Fidelity Management & Research

As she takes over Fidelity's money-management arm this month, Abby Johnson looks more than ever like the heir to the largest U.S. mutual-fund company, now led by her father, chairman Ned Johnson. Abby, 39, started out answering phones as an intern. After getting her M.B.A. at Harvard, she joined the firm as a stock analyst and eventually managed several funds. The oldest child and the only one in the family business, Abby owns 24% of Fidelity's stock, valued at $10 billion.

SHIGERU ISHII President of SonyBank

He will be steering one of the world's most respected brands into uncharted territory as he leads Sony's new online bank, launching this month amid a still stagnant Japanese economy. Ishii, 46, learned a bit about hard financial times at the now defunct Yamaichi Securities, and he plans to be more nimble than bricks-and-mortar competitors. His bank will offer higher interest rates to depositors, and it will benefit from the marketing muscle of its parent company.