Alibaba Group Holding and NetEase have entered the list of the 2017 top “super-accelerators”, or rapidly growing, highly profitable firms, among the world’s largest 500 companies in terms of market capitalization as of March 31, according to a study by executive recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles. Globally, 25 firms made the list this year compared with 23 in 2016. Four Chinese companies joined the list this year, up from two last year. Hangzhou-based Alibaba is in third place, behind Apple and Alphabet. NetEase was ranked No 21. Shenzhen-based Tencent Holdings took the fourth position, while Ping An Insurance (Group) ranked No 9. These two companies were also on last year’s list. Property developer Sun Hung Kai Properties, ranked No 19, is the only Hong Kong company on the list. To qualify for inclusion on the list, the companies also need to be in the top 20% of the top 500 companies for revenue growth for the past seven years, and have generated no more than 20% of their growth through acquisitions, in order to demonstrate their organic growth capabilities, and received no more than 20% of their revenue from their home governments, to eliminate state-supported enterprises. There are also criteria on profitability to reflect their ability to maintain certain profit margins. “These 25 ‘super-accelerator’ companies consistently achieve top-tier revenue growth with impressive, sustained profitability,” said Colin Price, Executive Vice President of Heidrick & Struggles. This year’s list included 11 new entries along with 14 that also made the list in 2016, the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba, reports.