French-born Virginie Maisoneuve, head of global and international equities at Schroder Investment Management, was only five years old when she became fascinated by China. "Even now, I really can't explain why," she says. "Something about the country just captured my imagination."

By age 11, she'd had her mother find a school where she could study Mandarin. During her Paris MBA studies, Maisonneuve hoped to set up an education exchange with a Chinese counterpart. The idea didn't pan out, but her time spent living in China and three dozen trips back helped her keep her finger on the pulse of its evolution into an economic superpower.