Shanghai

Our team of leadership advisors has been privileged to support China’s businesses through 30 years of exceptional growth. And we’re excited to continue supporting their success for the next 30 years.”

How we help business leaders in China

Our team in Shanghai supports regional and global organizations to deliver transformational results through executive search, executive and team development, and leadership succession.

While the Shanghai team specializes in the technology, industrial, healthcare, financial, education, and consumer markets, they partner with our other offices around the globe to advise leaders across all industries.

Russell Reynolds helped us build a stronger C-suite team. We have moved from a siloed C-suite with artificial harmony to a fully engaged team that can hold each other accountable. This is very needed for our business growth. Thank you for pushing through the tough topics with tenderness to achieve an amazing result.”

- CEO of a leading pharmaceutical company

Case studies

Finding a local CEO for global expansion

When a successful family-owned B2B2C company started a new global initiative to tap into the direct-to-consumer market, they turned to RRA to support them in quickly finding a CEO to run a new China subsidiary.

The company needed an experienced CEO who could help them set up the new business and drive fast growth. That meant looking for someone with the traditional CEO traits of ambition, detail orientation, and team management. But they also needed someone who could work well with the family owners, who are influential leaders in the industry.

To find the right CEO, we embarked on a global search. After analyzing the potential of a host of candidates, we presented a shortlist of leaders with experience in various countries and types of organizations who all had strong entrepreneurial spirits and successful records in retail business management.

With our support, the family and global CEO were able to quickly cut the shortlist to two finalists. We then ran thorough market intelligence and reference checks, which enabled the company to choose a leader who quickly earned the respect and trust of the global leadership team and family owners and helped set up the business in China smoothly.

Developing a leadership team for new growth

A top multinational technology company realized the competitive landscape they had succeeded in was changing, fast. To ensure their sustained success, they recognized the importance of offering more than just high-quality products—they needed to deliver lasting value to their customers.

Making the change with agility while guarding the company’s heritage would require a transformation of the leadership team. So, they turned to us.

We worked with the company to co-create a customized 12-month leadership acceleration program that included individual assessments, feedback, and personal development plans. Alongside the individual support, we ran quarterly team development workshops on issues including enhancing growth mindset, building high-performing teams, and influencing and inspiring with impact. We also coached groups of five executives to help them come together and address the leadership challenges that arose from the transformational projects.

Refreshing an executive team to meet new demand

When a global engineering company acquired a small Chinese industrial manufacturer, they quickly increased demand beyond the team’s ability to supply their high-quality products. The global company called on us to find new executive talent who could lead the manufacturer through a period of rapid growth.

We started by assessing the current leadership team and recommending where there were opportunities to strengthen it with external talent. The global company decided to bring in four new executives concurrently, a complex task our global team took in their stride.

At the same time, our local team showed there was a need to empower other executives. So, we ran a “High Functioning Team” coaching exercise to develop a leadership team that performs at a high tactical and strategic level, allowing the managing director more time for strategy and enablement.

In the end, we brought in four new executives in just 14 weeks and set up the leadership team to deliver against ambitious growth plans, all without disrupting the day-to-day business.

Supporting the community in Shanghai

United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)

We’re part of the faculty for the UNGC Target Gender Equality Accelerator in China. The accelerator helps companies improve strategies and actions for advancing economic gender equality through professional insights, training, and discussion.