Among 100 Female CEOs in Top 1000 Companies, Only 2... Lee Boo-jin Tops Stock Wealth Rankings

Over 40% of Female CEOs Born in the 1970s
Youngest is Kim Yeonsu, CEO of Hangul and Computer, Born in 1983
Director Oilseon: "Need to Prepare Ground for Full Participation of Female Leaders in Management"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] Among the top 1,000 domestic companies, there are only about 30 female CEOs, accounting for just 2 out of every 100 CEOs. Among them, those born in the 1970s accounted for over 40%, representing the largest age group. Eighty percent of female CEOs belong to owner families. The woman with the highest stock wealth among domestic female CEOs is Lee Boo-jin, President of Hotel Shilla. Four female CEOs are active in the 1 trillion KRW revenue club.

On the 14th, Korea CXO Research Institute, a corporate analysis specialist, announced the results of the "2022 Survey on Female CEOs of the Top 1,000 Companies." The survey targeted the top 1,000 listed companies by revenue (separate basis) from last year. Based on this year's semi-annual reports, female CEOs holding the CEO position were selected. If the same individual served as CEO for two or more companies, each company was counted separately. The stock valuation is based on the 1st of the month. The total value was calculated by summing all listed stocks (including preferred shares) held by the female CEO.

Female CEO Ratio 2.4%... Oldest CEO is Go Eun-hee, Highest Stock Valuation is Lee Boo-jin

The survey found that there were 1,350 CEOs among the top 1,000 domestic companies. Among them, 32 were women, accounting for 2.4% of all CEOs. Of the female CEOs, 25 (78.1%) belonged to owner families, while the remaining 7 were professional managers. Looking at female professional managers by revenue, the non-owner CEO group included Choi Soo-yeon of Naver, Cho Hee-sun of Hanse Industrial, Kim Je-hyun of Studio Dragon, Hwang Bo-kyung of YG Entertainment, Kim Yoo-jin of Able C&C, Yoo Hee-won of Bukwang Pharmaceutical, and Park Mi-ryeong of Dongnam Synthetic. Among companies in the 1 trillion KRW revenue club last year, four had female CEOs: Naver and Hotel Shilla (Lee Boo-jin), Hanse Industrial (Cho Hee-sun), and Maeil Dairies (Kim Sun-hee).

The oldest female CEO is Go Eun-hee (born 1934), Chairwoman and CEO of Daelim Trading. The youngest is Kim Yeon-su (born 1983), CEO of Hancom. By birth year, those born in the 1970s accounted for the largest share with 14 (43.8%). Following were those born in the 1960s (25%, 8 people), 1980s (15.6%, 5 people), and 1950s (12.5%, 4 people) in that order. Among MZ generation (Millennials + Gen Z) female CEOs born after 1980 were Lim Joo-hee (1980) of Daedong Steel, Kim Yoo-jin (1981) of Able C&C, and Lee Soo-yeon (1982) of Brand X Corporation. Among professional managers, the only one leading a top 100 revenue company is Choi Soo-yeon (born 1981), CEO of Naver, who is also in her early 40s.

The female CEO with the highest stock valuation is Lee Boo-jin, President of Hotel Shilla. Although she holds no shares in Hotel Shilla, she owns a large number of shares in Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung Life Insurance, and Samsung Electronics preferred shares. As of the 1st, her stock value exceeds 5.6498 trillion KRW, making her the undisputed number one among domestic female CEOs. Two female CEOs with stock wealth exceeding 100 billion KRW are Han Hyun-ok, CEO of Clio, and Lim Il-ji, CEO of Daewoo Electronic Materials. Han’s stock holdings in Clio alone are valued at 128.6 billion KRW, while Lim’s Daewoo Electronic Materials stock is valued at approximately 101.2 billion KRW.

Oh Il-seon, Director of Korea CXO Research Institute, said, “As the population gradually decreases and diversity is emphasized worldwide, it is necessary to create an environment where excellent female leaders can actively participate in management in Korea as well. This will enhance not only corporate but also national competitiveness.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.