Martin J. Sullivan is the former president and CEO of the American International Group, Inc. In 1996 he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of AIU in New York and named President in 1997. He was elected to the Board of AIG in May 2002.

In 2008, Sullivan testified before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Capitol Hill regarding the bailout of AIG.

AIG's stock price dropped 99 percent during the credit crisis of 2008 and 2009. A company that was worth over $100 billion before the crisis, had a market capitalization of just $1.4 billion by February 2009. Despite the crisis, Sullivan received a huge severance package.

16. Gerald Levin

One of the most powerful media executives, Gerald Levin was the chairman and CEO of chairman and CEO of Time Warner. Levin steered the merger between AOL and Time Warner in 2000, a move which was a big disadvantage to Time Warner.