Zhang Hao, Sue Yuehuan and Shi Qingqi are the vanguard of the new generation of female business leaders in China. They run three leading companies and are an inspiration to countless Chinese women.
All three women are members of an association of female entrepreneurs headed by Shi Qingqi herself. Their fascinating stories, along with those of 15 other women, recently caught the attention of Julia Pérez-Cerezo, who decided to pay tribute to their achievements in her new book, "Emprendedoras chinas" ("Chinese Female Entrepreneurs"). Her aim was to open the eyes of the west to the growing role of Chinese female business leaders, whose examples of determination, inner strength and desire to succeed against all odds remain little known outside of Asia. On September 22, IESE's campus in Madrid hosted a conference in their honor, moderated by Prof. Nuria Chinchilla.
The three women described just some of the many obstacles they had to overcome to launch their careers. Each of them began with little or no money whatsoever. Zhang Hao, managing director of Beijing Xianglong Bamboo Pine and Plum Business Center, built up her fortune from an initial investment of 18 Euros, which she borrowed from a friend. She, herself, had no money left to her name, having lost all of it in a previous business startup. However, that bad experience failed to deter her and with those 18 Euros in hand and no little tenacity she set about building a business empire selling Guozhen Special's alternative healthcare products. Her company, now Guozen Special's leading distributor, is currently looking to expand its overseas market.
Sue Yuehuan, president and CEO of China Enterprise Appraisals and president of the board of directors and chief executive of China Enterprise Consultants, has made her name in consulting. The secret to her success lies in "providing clients with the highest levels of care and service delivery," she said.
Shi Qingqi is one of the most influential figures in China's hi-tech industries. Her theories and proposals on how China can use technology to advance its economic development have had a major impact on the strategies adopted by the Chinese government and its regional bodies. Shi Qingqi is currently the executive vice-president and general secretary of the Association of Female Entrepreneurs. Being a woman, she says, is far less of an obstacle to achieving success in China these days. "Testament to this is the fact that in 1995 China witnessed the emergence of a new generation of female business leaders, all with an insatiable thirst for success. Many of these women now hold some of the most senior positions in leading Chinese companies."
