Adriana Kampfner

In 1997, Adriana Kampfner, a native of Mexico, set her eyes on a position at then-fledgling StarMedia, an Internet company targeting Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets worldwide. She made an offer her future boss couldn�t refuse: “Start me anywhere, pay me anything you want, but give me the opportunity and then reward me for it.”

Her Vital Stats
Born: 1972, Mexico City

Education: B.S. in business administration, University of Michigan

Title: Senior vice president, Global Sales & Business Development, StarMedia, Inc.; president, StarMedia Mexico StarMedia Network

StarMedia Quarterly Revenue: $41 million

Family life: Resides in New York City and travels constantly, but makes times for her parents — both professors at the University of Michigan — and siblings

After three years as an investment banker with Chase Securities, Kampfner was defying cultural and family wisdom, opting not to pursue an MBA in favor of grabbing for the Internet gold ring. With a bit of finessing, she convinced StarMedia CEO and founder Fernando Espuelas to take a chance on her, despite her heavy finance background and little Web experience.

Her gamble paid off big-time. Kampfner is now senior vice president for Global Sales & Business Development and president of StarMedia Mexico, as well as one of the internationally known tech industry elite.