China champions build the China business and they are needed as companies re-engage with China. This is what they do. The China champion believes passionately in the potential of the China market. He does not need to be particularly skilled in terms of understanding Chinese business culture but he is convinced the company has to be in China and that it has to develop a long-term business in China. Armed with an idea and a conviction, he sets out to assemble a team of skilled managers and staff who could deliver on his vision. This was the China strategy that was driven from the top.
The business terrain in China has changed so it is even more important to have a well-informed “China champion” at the executive level who can understand and adapt the way the business engages with China.
As China’s economy contracted, many China teams in companies were disbanded. For those left behind, despite their best efforts, the momentum has gone out of the company’s China strategy. China has become just one part of the company’s domestic and international strategy. A change in the structure of the management board often sees the removal of the China champion which leads to business irrelevancy.
