On a worldwide trip in December, Alwaleed's itinerary included a chat with Japanese real estate mogul Minoru Mori in Tokyo, a visit to Daewoo Chairman Kim Woo-Choong in Seoul, a lunch with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad in Kuala Lumpur and tea with the then prime minister of India, Inder Kumar Gujral, in New Delhi.

FORBES: The optimist