It's all about the technology for the youngster in Brazil. He saves his "milk money" to buy parts needed to build things like radios and synthesizers. What's surprising is that he comes from a family of bankers and economists. They can't appreciate why he prefers to tinker. But his father places just one condition on his son's future: Pursue whatever path you choose with passion. Even at just 16 years old, Fernando Martins takes those words to heart as he embarks on engineering studies.

For graduate school, he makes his way to Carnegie Mellon. He studies the way the human eye works and applies that knowledge to video coding—the core technology that enables digital transport of video as seen with YouTube. He says that as rigorous as he found the electrical and computer engineering field, it always felt more like a "playground" than work.

After he earns his PhD in 1997, he begins working for Intel. During the next 14 years, he climbs the ranks, he says, in part, because every few years he takes on a new post, diversifying his skills beyond that of a "techie." The Brazilian, who is fluent in English, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish, ends up as global director of strategic planning, and his Corporate Virtualization of Initiative bolsters revenues.

His success doesn't go unnoticed by Intel's management. The company recently returned him to his native land as president and general manager of Intel Brazil. The country, fifth-most-populated in the world, has a GNP growing at an annual rate of 5.5 percent, and it's the third largest market for computers, says Martins, making it a major focus for Intel growth.

—Elizabeth Shestak (HS'03)