"People discover it early in their drinking," said Dana Allen, the global creative director of Southern Comfort.

AS the business world grows increasingly global and complex - a game of chess, not checkers - directors have an ever bigger job to do.

Ralph Greene, Nike's global director of basketball, said: "Our policy is, the athletes come first.

Ms. Garr, chief marketing officer, had been global director for integrated communications and strategic initiatives at Head Sports, Chicago.

He is currently the global creative director for Chanel Makeup, a position described by Vogue magazine as the "most coveted job in cosmetics".

After his athletic career, Chapa first served as the global director of sports marketing at Nike, Inc.

"To stay competitive, you have to appear in new avenues," said Antonio Bertone, Puma's global director of brand management.

He shares the post of global creative director on the Nike Inc. account with Jim Riswold.

He continues to head the agency's Saab account as global creative director.

In 2002 Newman joined Mackie as a senior product manager and soon thereafter become global director of product management in a restructuring move by the company.