MARYANN WRIGHT

Vice president, global technology and innovation for power solutions, Johnson Controls Inc.

Chosen because: Wright has been at the forefront of electrification since her days at Ford Motor Co., where she led the team that rescued the Ford Escape Hybrid project when it was behind schedule and in danger of being cancelled. In her current job, Wright, whose father was an engineer at Ford, must take a longer view and plot the direction of Johnson Controls' technology development. She also works with Washington on policies to expand the global energy storage industry. Wright, 49, has a good platform for that task: She is on the board of governors at Argonne National Laboratory. Wright is also a board member of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, an industry group that promotes electrification.

Quote: "We have to take a look at our business model and, quite frankly, start operating much more like the Japanese. The Japanese are happy to compete against each other, but only after they've established a competitive leadership position in whatever technology they happen to be going after."