Even by international standards, Formosa Plastics is a titan, with operating revenues last year of $5.8 billion, and Mr. Wang is perhaps the single best-known executive in Taiwan.

Mr. Tartikoff, a native of Freeport, L.I., is among the best-known executives in television.

Mr. Munk, 77, is a Hungarian immigrant who is today one of Canada's best-known executives.

He is considered the best-known - and perhaps best - chief executive among France's school of Socialist managers.

The company was led for almost two decades after that by Mr. Morita, whose white mane and tart tongue made him one of the best-known and most controversial executives in Japan.

But he noted that when he himself took over as chief executive he was following Michael Fuchs, who had become one of the best-known executives in television.

In Mr. Kaplan, Mr. Shapiro has tapped one of the best-known executives in network news.

A month later, Mr. Saunders, one of Britain's best-known executives, was dismissed as chairman and chief executive of Guinness.

Ms. Burroughs, 56, is one of the best-known top executives in the field of agencies that specialize in campaigns aimed at black consumers.

His flair for depicting a bright, electronics-filled future in which his company played a prominent role had made him one of the South's best-known executives.