MAKOTO YODA

President, GS Yuasa Corp.

Chosen because: Yoda, 61, helped transform this Japanese company into an increasingly influential maker of lithium ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. GS Yuasa has formed joint ventures with Mitsubishi and Honda to make lithium ion batteries for vehicles such as Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electric car and the redesigned Honda Civic Hybrid. It aims to have four lithium ion battery plants operating in Japan by next year and targets long-term capacity of more than 100,000 battery packs a year in its home country.

Quote: "As the market is expected to expand rapidly, we need to enhance our lithium ion battery production capacity at a considerably high pace."