Ren Jianhua

Ren Jianhua chairs Shenzhen-listed kitchen appliance maker Hangzhou Robam Appliances.The company claims its products, which include range hoods, microwaves and gas stoves, are in over 35 million households. It was founded in 1979 and its first generation range hood, created by Robam and the deepartment of aeronautics and astronautics, came out in 1987.Ren borrowed $5.4 million at the end of 1998 to take control of the company.It now has 35,000 employees and 278 patents.