Louis Renault would have to be up there as an industry leader. His first car was built in 1898 in his garden shed, and from there he built up an empire to be one of the biggest motor companies in Europe. To quote from a book 'Renault's Century', 'he reigned supreme and kept an iron grip on all aspects of his company's life...The Boss himself was a self-made man and had little time for those whose only claim was a list of prestigious qualifications'. He was imprisoned in 1944 on suspicion of collaborating with the occupying Germans and died of illness a year later in prison. The company was nationalised and is still one of the leading companies in today's world.