Tough times can be a proving ground, and the common thread that runs through this year's list is the extraordinary effort made by many of these finance executives, regulators and elected officials to get businesses or the broader economy back on track in the wake of the financial crisis. Whether the recovery is already under way, is sustainable, or will falter in some parts of the world is still uncertain. But without a doubt, the financial crisis revealed just how close the world's economic ties are and that there's no going back on going global. Guts, gumption and a global mind-set are the three main themes of Treasury & Risk's 100 Most Influential People in Finance, even as regulation and risk management loom large ahead.

THE FINANCIAL C-SUITE

LEWIS BOOTH, EVP AND CFO, FORD MOTOR Booth's deft financial steering locked in liquidity, keeping Ford out of bankruptcy and away from government receivership at a time when peers GM and Chrysler were crushed in a multi-car pileup.