In its May 1999 issue, Worth magazine profiles and ranks The 50 Best CEOs. Morgan Stanley's Philip J. Purcell placed 17th — the only CEO from a financial services firm to make the list. Worth states that the list includes CEOs with "integrity, vision, an ability to focus, a willingness to take strategic risks, and an unwavering belief in themselves and their companies (as demonstrated by their willingness both to reinvest corporate resources and to tie their personal fortunes to their enterprises)." Other Best CEOs include: Michael Dell of Dell Computer, John Chambers of Cisco Systems, Louis Gerstner, Jr. of IBM, William Gates of Microsoft and Raymond Gilmartin of Merck.

To compile its rankings, Worth solicited nominations from Wall Street analysts and then evaluated each nominee on industry performance, commitment to his or her business, his or her company's long-term potential and social responsibility. No CEO older than 60 was included.