#2 Howard Schultz’s comeback

Schultz started his own coffee shop in 1985, named 'Il Giornale' after the Milanese newspaper. Two years later, the original Starbucks management decided to focus on Peet's Coffee & Tea and sold its Starbucks retail unit to Schultz and Il Giornale for $3.8 million.

Schultz renamed Il Giornale with the Starbucks name, and aggressively expanded its reach across the United States. Schultz's keen insight in real estate and his hard-line focus on growth drove him to expand the company rapidly. Schultz did not believe in franchising, and made a point of having Starbucks retain ownership of every domestic outlet.

By the time Howard Schultz stepped down as chief executive of Starbucks, in 2000, the coffee chain was one of the world’s most recognizable brands—and on a steady trajectory of growth. Eight years later Starbucks was suffering from a rough economy and its own strategic missteps, and Schultz felt compelled to return to the CEO seat. In the midst of plummeting stocks and competition, Schultz' coffee-chain recorded 13.3 B in net revenues in 2012.

#1 A.G. Lafley

This CEO of Proctor & Gamble was awarded CEO of the Year in 2006. Under his tenure, the company's market capital doubled and it became one of the five most valuable companies in the US. He stepped down a CEO of P&G in 2009 but maintained his chairmanship at the company. Then he totally retired in 2010. He rejoined the Company on May 23, 2013, amid some economic crises. With his comeback in May this year, P&G shares rose 4 percent. 

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