On the business stage, Knowles has proven to be a marketable brand, generating millions through endorsement deals with L’Oréal, American Express, Ford, and Armani. Knowles and her mother, Tina, retooled their clothing line, House of Deréon, to add high-end cocktail dresses and evening gowns that will be sold in retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s starting next month.
Kimora Lee Simmons, Creative Director / Phat Fashions L.L.C. / 32. Why she’s hot: A trendsetter, Simmons has been responsible for creating fashion lines that merge glamour with hip-hop, attracting millions of women to her brand of bling. In her business role, she controls the licenses for much of Baby Phat merchandise, which generated $750 million in retail sales last year. Besides apparel, she continues to put her signature on products, ranging from a jacket made of gold and diamonds for the handheld Sony PSP entertainment unit to a Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie doll produced through a partnership with toy giant Mattel. Viewers of the cable networks Style and E! have recently gotten a glimpse of Simmons’ personal and business style through her reality program, Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.
Phil Ivey, Professional Poker Player / 31. Why he’s hot: Considered the “Tiger Woods of Poker,” Ivey is the youngest player to win five World Series of Poker bracelets–a feat achieved before the age of 30. And he’s still the man to beat. To date, Ivey has won nearly $3 million in cash earnings from World Series of Poker tournaments alone. In 2006, he played for The Corporation, a group of poker players who pooled their resources to play against Texas billionaire Andy Beal. Ivey won more than $16 million over three days. This year, Ivey picked up another $382,000 in World Series of Poker circuit events, placing fourth in the H.O.R.S.E. event and second in the tournament’s World Champion Seven Card Stud event. –Tamara E. Holmes
Kevin Liles, Executive Vice President / Warner Music Group / 39. Why he’s hot: Liles is one of the most powerful executives in the music industry. He’s part of the management team that oversees world-renowned labels such as Atlantic and Warner Bros. as well as handling distribution, marketing, and music publishing for the $3.5 billion recording giant. Liles, who has been key to the success of artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris, LL Cool J, and Kanye West and sits on the board of the Recording Industry Association of America, is helping Warner figure out how to combat flagging CD sales, adapt to the digital music revolution, and other industry challenges. The former unpaid intern grew the Def Jam brand into a $400 million phenomenon with tentacles in several revenue streams including film, television, DVDs, video games, and apparel.
Treena Livingston Arinzeh. Biomedical Engineer, New Jersey Institute of Technology / 37. Why she’s hot: Stem cell research has come to the forefront of not just scientific discourse but also political debate. Arinzeh is at the center of this hotly contested arena, having made two major breakthroughs in the field. Her research with biomaterials