VietJet CEO and President Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has been recognised as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes.

Thao – the Vietnamese representative – was listed the 44th, up 11 spots compared to last year.

According to the magazine, Viet Nam’s first self-made billionaire’s estimated net work is about US$2.6 billion, $1.98 billion higher from last year.

"I have always aimed big and done big deals. I have never done anything on a small scale. When people were trading one container [of goods], I was already trading hundreds of containers," Forbes quoted Thao as saying.

Thao is chairperson of Sovico Holdings, President and CEO of Vietjet, as well as standing vice chairperson of HDBank.

Over the past two years, Thao listed Vietjet and HDBank on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE). The market capitalisations of both companies accounted for billions of dollars, making Thao the second-richest person in the Viet Nam’s stock market.

Vietjet, founded by Thao in 2011, was also named by Forbes as one of the 40 most valuable brands in Viet Nam in 2018. The airline now operates 385 flights daily, with more than 100 routes covering destinations across Viet Nam and international destinations such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, The Republic of Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Cambodia.

This is the 15th annual top 100 list of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes, including women in business, finance, media, politics, social / philanthropic / NGO and technology. The annual ranking is based on multiple categories such as asset quality, media exposure, segment and international influence.

Topping this year’s list was German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She was followed by the UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde and CEO of General Motors Mary Barra. — VNS