People to Watch In International Business

By Kathleen Kingsbury, Coco Masters

Zhang Lan SERVING UP CHANGE

Branded a counterrevolutionary in China's Cultural Revolution, restaurateur Zhang Lan has profited from that label ever since. In 1991, when few Chinese were opening businesses, Zhang redefined China's dining experience, combining classic Sichuan food with Western-inspired settings. The result was South Beauty, one of the nation's first restaurant chains, which has $25 million in sales and more than 3,000 employees in 20 locations. Zhang, 47, is eyeing Europe and the U.S., again rebuking usual wisdom. She will shun any location in an urban Chinatown.

Daryl Brewster SHOW THEM THE DOUGH

A glazed doughnut, a decaf and Krispy Kreme's lukewarm performance, sprinkled with profit warnings and an SEC investigation, will keep the new CEO focused on revitalizing the once darling brand. Having rebuilt Planters Nuts and Oreo for Kraft and Nabisco, Brewster, 49, can again tap consumer insights and learn from rivals like Dunkin' Donuts and Tim Hortons to bring the Kreme--and its 319 stores--to the top. Brewster's run as Kraft's president in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico should also boost Kreme's best foreign markets. "The brand does seem to have some magic," he says. "We want to do this right--and make sure we're learning from the past."

Derica Rice PRESCRIPTION FOR STABILITY

For its new CFO, Eli Lilly's success is personal. In 1990 Rice, 41, decided to join the company that made his diabetic mother's insulin. Says the Alabama native: "I know [now] Lilly is why I've had 24 years longer with my mother." His wife also works for the company. Lilly, whose prospects once seemed dim with the loss in 2001 of its patent for the popular antidepressant Prozac, expects a rise in earnings of up to 12% this year, led by new drugs such as Byetta--for diabetes. At the same time, Lilly has cut its workforce nearly 7% since 2004 and has plans to reduce the cost of drug development.