In a year of upheavals and sudden surprises, Treasury & Risk's list of the 100 most influential movers and shakers in finance is a true reflection of the times. Adversity brings out the best in the best. In some cases, the CFOs, treasurers and risk managers on this year's list face the greatest challenges of their careers. We chose Fed chief Ben Bernanke for the cover because views on the U.S. economy, which were so negative earlier this year, have lately taken a turn for the better. If that holds–and the worst of the subprime and credit market crisis is behind us–we could be at the start of a new era at the Fed and for the economy. Other important themes include XBRL and international accounting convergence, which are expected to keep rising in importance for U.S. corporations in the year ahead, bringing massive changes to the old ways of doing business.

THE FINANCIAL C-SUITE

Dave Anderson, SVP and CFO, Honeywell International Inc. This will be a busy year for Anderson, who recently said that, thanks to a strong balance sheet, plenty of available credit and diminished seller expectations, Honeywell could lay out as much as $3 billion for acquisitions.