People to Watch in International Business

HOWARD PIEN Pill Pitcher

Biotech firm Chiron has grown briskly in recent years, with last year's revenue up 14% over 2001's, to $1.3 billion. Yet its future looks uncertain; few of its new drugs are close to reaching market. So the firm, based in Emeryville, Calif., has made Pien, 45, its new CEO. Born in China and reared in the Bronx, Pien has run GlaxoSmithKline's international operations for two years and is expected to help Chiron extend its global reach. Analysts say his toughest task will be building up the product pipeline.

PAULINE RICHARDS Bermuda Bookkeeper

A mother of two and a yoga enthusiast, Richards, 54, joins the board of real estate and travel giant Cendant to serve on its audit committee. In the wake of recent financial scandals, firms are hiring more independent directors who can expertly read the text and subtexts of financial reports. And Cendant believes that Richards, CFO of the Bermuda subsidiary of the Swiss bank Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch, fills the bill.

MARISA LAGO Citigroup Watchdog

To help fix the reputation of Citigroup's Global Corporate and Investment Bank--formerly Salomon Smith Barney--Lago will oversee the legal-compliance and business practices of the division beginning this month. Citi recently agreed to pay $400 million to settle accusations that Salomon misled investors by touting stocks of its investment-banking clients. Lago, who was once head of international affairs at the Securities and Exchange Commission, knows a thing or two about enforcement.

KEN KUTARAGI Game Master

Nobody doubts the creativity of Kutaragi, who built the PlayStation console for Sony. But he is also a deft marketer: of all consoles sold last year, 69% were PlayStations, according to the consultancy Strategy Analytics. Kutaragi, 52, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, has just been given a second post, as deputy president of the parent company. He will oversee Sony's transformation into a broadband-network giant, with its games, music, movies and gadgets linked through the Internet. The appointment fuels speculation that Kutaragi will someday run Sony.

GARETH PENNY Gem Dandy

In the midst of a global slump, De Beers, which controls some 60% of the world's diamond production, posted 15.7% sales growth last year, to $5 billion. Much of the credit falls to Penny, 40, director of the firm's London-based Diamond Trading Co. and newly appointed executive director of De Beers' board. A Rhodes scholar from South Africa, Penny championed De Beers' supplier-of-choice program, which seeks to drive up diamond sales through better branding.