7.5% of the companies listed on Vietnam’s bourses have
female Chief Executive Officers (CEO), while 18.3% of the total market
capitalisation value of listed companies in Vietnam belongs to these
companies, according to Mekong Capital, an investment management
company.


Mekong Capital on February 9 released the results of a
survey on the operations of listed companies in Vietnam based on the
*** of their CEOs: Interestingly enough, many businesses with female
CEOs prove to operate very well.


The survey, conducted from January 2, 2007 to January
16, 2009, showed that companies with female CEOs had the average annual
return to shareholders at minus 17.1% (the minus figure reflects
business results in the last two difficult years, especially in 2008).
Meanwhile, companies with male CEOs brought the average annual return
to their shareholders of minus 38.8%. The average annual return of the
market in the period was minus 34.9%.


The figures about the average annual return were
released after analysts considered the latest figures about the
market’s capitalisation value.


7.5% of the companies listed on Vietnam’s bourses have
female CEO, while 18.3% of the total capitalisation value of listed
companies in Vietnam is accounted for by these companies.


Chris Freund, Managing Director of Mekong Capital,
said that though the period of the survey was too short to draw
conclusive conclusions about the long-term operations of companies, the
result of the survey proves to coincide with the Mekong Capital
viewpoint it spoke out in mid 1990, namely that many of the best
companies in Vietnam are being managed by female CEOs.


Mr Freund said that one of the best companies in its
investment portfolio is Phu Nhuan Jewellery Company PNJ, which has been
very successful in retailing gold, silver and gem stones in Vietnam.
PNJ is being managed by Ngoc Dung, General Director and Chairwoman.


It is expected that PNJ will list on the stock market in March 2009.