Kim Ki-nam, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics' DS division, ranked 13th among the world's most influential CEOs.
According to the "2019 World's Best CEO" list of the U.S. economic magazine "CEO World," Vice Chairman Kim was ranked 13th in overall and third in IT business management. It was right after Apple's Tim Cook (ninth) and Amazon's Jeff Bezos (11th).
Among Asian managers, Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Arabia's state-run oil company Aramco, ranked fourth, and Akio Toyoda, CEO of Toyota Motor of Japan, ranked eighth.
The ranking is based on a comprehensive evaluation of 1,200 CEOs from 96 countries around the world of their management performance and environmental impact, governance, social contribution, brand value, market share and influence of their companies during their tenure. On the list of 121 CEOs, Vice Chairman Kim was the only Korean businessman.
By country, U.S. businessmen accounted for the largest portion with 55, followed by Germany with 11, India with 10, Japan with nine, France with eight and China with seven. Among them, Doug McMillon of Walmart in the U.S. was voted the most influential CEO.
"The fact that Samsung Electronics has performed well in recent years thanks to the 'super boom' of the global memory chip market and has conducted many global social contribution activities has affected Kim's entry into the top tier," a business source said.
