Ricardo Semler

Ricardo Semler has won international fame for creating the world's most unusual workplace and lectures all over the world.

Ricardo Semler took over his father's company, Semco (founded in 1954), at the age of 19. Not only did he turn the copany round, he made it an outstanding success. On the brink of bankruptcy in 1980, Semco achieved revenues of $34 million in 1993 - and $160 million in 2000. Semler threw out the rule book: for example, workers make their own decisions; every corporate decision is put to the vote; people turn up to the meetings they want to be at. It sounds insane: but it works.