Robin Zeng, the CEO of battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, better known as CATL, recently topped the latest annual ranking of China’s top CEOs published this month by Forbes China, the licensed Chinese-language edition of Forbes.
CATL has thrived as a supplier to China’s auto industry, which currently tops the world in annual electric vehicle production. Customers include BMW, Geely and Tesla. CATL’s success has turned Zeng into one of the world’s richest businessmen, with an estimated fortune worth $57 billion on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List today. CATL is dual-listed in Hong Kong and Shenzhen; its headquarters is in Zeng’s hometown of Ningde in Fujian province.
Liu Sheng, CEO of Zhongji InnoLight, ranked no. 2 on this year’s tech-heavy CEO list after shares in the maker of transceiver modules rose more than six-fold gain in the past year at the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The stock’s rise lifted Liu fortune to $6.1 billion on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List today. Liu founded Google-backed InnoLight Technology in 2008.
Chen Tianshi, the chairman of chipmaker Cambricon Technologies Corp. ranked No. 3 this year. Dubbed the Nvidia of China, its shares have soared on strong demand. Chen holds a fortune with $46 billion on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list; he received a Ph.D. from the University of Science and Technology of China.
Huang Xiaolei, the CEO of Eoptolink Technology, ranked No. 4. Founded in 2008, the Chengdu-based company produces optical modules that are used in data broadband, telecommunications, and data center industries.
Rounding out the top five is Fang Hongbo, chairman of Midea, one of the world’s largest makers of home appliances. Its Shenzhen-traded shares have gained more than 15% in the past year. Fang has a fortune worth $1.8 billion on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list today.
The new Forbes China’s Best CEOs List took into account a company’s stock price performance, market value, revenue, net profit, profit growth, return on assets and return on equity for listed businesses. Click here for the full Chinese version.