VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Report’s research team has discovered a relation between the ages and the successes of the CEOs of VNR500 enterprises: the years of buffalo and pig seem to generate high numbers of successful businessmen.

50 is the average rate of VNR500’s CEOs

VNR500 is a listing of Vietnam's largest businesses, modeled after similar listings created by Fortune magazine.

Conducted by on-line newswire services VietNamNet and Vietnam Report JSC, the VNR500 is determined by several factors: revenue, industry, profit, growth rates, labor and owner equity and total assets.

The average age of the CEOs of VNR500’s top 50 businesses is 53, while the average age of the bottom 50 businesses (ranking from 450th to 500th) is 48. As such, 50 is the average age of the 500 biggest enterprises’ CEOs.

There is a relation between the CEO’s age and the “maturity” of enterprises. The bigger enterprises ranked at higher positions in the VNR500 listing have older CEOs, aged at 50-55.

The oldest CEO is 77 years old, while the youngest 31 years old.

The data analysis has found an interesting thing--that the year of pig, 1959, and the year of buffalo, 1961, were the years that “produced” the highest numbers of VNR500’s CEOs. The businessmen born in 1959 and 1961 account for 7.4 percent of the total CEOs.

Meanwhile, the CEOs born in 1958 (the year of dog) and 1954 (the year of horse) account for 6.6 percent and 6 percent of the total CEOs. This shows that the 1950s and 1960s of the 20th century, when the country was still partitioned, was the period that generated and nurtured biggest talents.

The people have matured since 1975, when the north and the south unified, and they have been making great contributions to the country’s development since the doi moi (renovation) kicked off in 1986.

Most of VNR500’s CEOs are Vietnamese

Local newspapers recently have reported about the new trend of Vietnamese businesses hiring foreign CEOs, explaining that foreign CEOs, who have good knowledge and experiences in international trade, would better manage the businesses.

However, this does not mean that Vietnamese CEOs are not capable enough. Truong Gia Binh, President and CEO of the technology group FPT, Mai Kieu Lien, CEO of Vinamilk (dairy producer), Pham Thi Viet Nga of Hau Giang Pharmacy, Pham Nhat Vuong of Vingroup, who has been recognized by Forbes as one of the 1000 richest men in the world, and Dang Le Nguyen Vu of Trung Nguyen Coffee Group are the names well known not only in Vietnam, but also in the world.

According to Vietnam Report, 14.4 percent of CEOs of the VNR500 enterprises are foreigners. Meanwhile, the number of foreign invested enterprises accounts for 15 percent. This means that some foreign invested enterprises have been managed by Vietnamese CEOs.

26.9 percent of the CEOs of the VNR500 enterprises have the family name “Nguyen.” Meanwhile, 10.6 percent have the family name “Tran” and 8.6 percent have the family name “Le.”

The 2013 VNR500 announcement ceremony will take place in Hanoi on January 17, 2014.

Ngo Nga