Chinese auto giant BYD's female CFO earns more than its founder last year

China's BYD's (1211) female chief financial officer earned more than the electric vehicle giant’s founder last year, becoming the first A-share CFO to surpass the 10 million yuan (HK$11.5 million) mark.

Zhou Yalin, also a senior vice president of BYD, received a total remuneration of 10.14 million yuan in 2025, according to the company’s annual report.

That surpassed the 8.14 million yuan salary of Wang Chuanfu, BYD’s chairman, executive director and president. 

Zhou received just 800,000 yuan from BYD in 2014, according to the 2014 annual report, meaning her salary skyrocketed more than 11 times in just over a decade.

The 49-year-old joined BYD Battery in 1999 after getting an economics degree from Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. She became BYD’s chief accountant in 2014 before being promoted to the finance chief in 2019. 

Zhou is also the CFO of BYD Electronic (International) (0285), a director of BYD Semiconductor, and chairman of BYD Auto Finance Company.