Gree chief tops Fortune's businesswomen list

Gree's Dong Mingzhu took the top spot in the list of most influential businesswomen in China, according to a ranking by Fortune magazine.

Other prominent businesswomen in the list include Chen Chunhua, co-chair and CEO of agri-business firm New Hope Liuhe Co Ltd, and Wang Fengying, president of Great Wall Motor Co Ltd.

The Chinese edition of the magazine said several Chinese businesswomen are now at the forefront of innovation and have been playing increasingly significant roles globally.

Dong, president of Gree Electric Appliances Inc, a home appliances manufacturer in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, topped the list for the second consecutive year.

According to Fortune, Dong has played a key role in diversifying the traditional sales mode of the manufacturing company to online sales. Gree's revenues rose to 140 billion yuan ($22 billion) last year, a record for the home appliances industry in China.

Zhang Maiwen, executive editor-in-chief of Fortune China, said empathy is an important quality that business leaders need to possess. Businesswomen have more advantages in this regard as they are patient and pay more attention to details.

"Their communication skills, perspective-taking ability and more flexible approach have helped them to lead companies, to tide over difficulties and find solutions," he said.

Four out of the top 10 businesswomen are from the Internet sector.

Ranked fourth on the list is Sun Yafang, chairwoman of Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. The magazine said she has made remarkable contributions to lead Huawei to become the third-largest phone maker in China, after Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

Li Dang, president of China General Technology (Group) Holding Ltd, was ranked fifth on the list.

Peng Lei, co-founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and Liu Qing, founder and chairwoman of Didi Kuaidi, China's biggest car-hailing service provider, took the sixth and seventh spots, respectively.

Liu, 37, a newcomer who made the list this year, is one of the most powerful businesswomen in China. She was ranked among the most influential businesspeople under the age of 40 by Fortune.

"More women are expected to take top management positions in the future in China. Women executives are likely to be more competitive in the services sector," said Li Yongning, a professor with the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.