People to Watch in 2000

Who will make big news in the business world this year? Who will emerge from relative obscurity to become a major player? To start the new year, Times business reporters selected people from their beats who they believe will be among those to watch in 2000--in Southern California, across the country and around the world. Some are well known, having made big news in previous years. Others are not exactly household names but nevertheless are likely to make a major impact in their fields.

Of course, there’s no way to predict just what’s going to happen in the next 12 months. Nor can any such list be complete--there’s always the come-from-nowhere phenom who’ll surprise everyone. But it’s a good bet that if you follow the fortunes of these 22, you’ll see the top business stories of 2000 unfold.

Jill Barad of Mattel Many investors will be watching Mattel Inc. leader Jill Barad in the coming year--either to witness Barad lead the company out of its months-long malaise or watch what happens to her if she doesn’t.

On Wall Street, where betting is that Barad, 48, will be ousted this year, a few Mattel analysts and investors say they’re surprised she has lasted this long.

Early indications are that El Segundo-based Mattel enjoyed a solid holiday, with strong sales of Millennium Princess Barbie and Barbie Airplane, Walk ‘n’ Wag Baby Pluto and Hot Wheels cars. No “must-have” toy, however, emerged to save the company from its woes, which include a 42% third-quarter loss in earnings that the company blamed on unforeseen problems at its largest-ever acquisition, Learning Co. The shortfall was another in a series of events that has pulled down Mattel’s share price from the good days of 1998, when the stock hovered for months above $40. In the last week of 1999, the stock was trading at around $13.

But the marketing whiz who resurrected Barbie and transformed a tired property into a $2-billion business by 1998 isn’t likely to fade from the front lines, no matter what happens to her at Mattel. Rumors have Barad moving to all manner of companies, including various entertainment industry posts. Watch for Barad to have a few surprises of her own as she focuses her marketing brilliance on her chief asset: Jill Barad.