At the helm of Hisense for 30 years, Zhou Houjian stepped down, who is the new boss?

Text | Jaly

According to the news on March 13, 65-year-old Zhou Houjian officially resigned as the chairman of Hisense Group Holdings Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hisense Group"), and the board of directors has elected former vice chairman Lin Lan to take over as chairman.

Lin Lan takes over the baton Hisense has entered the stage of international breakthrough

The "Securities Daily" reporter learned from Hisense Group that Zhou Houjian announced his resignation as chairman of Hisense Group and official retirement on March 12 before his monthly regular business work briefings of Hisense Group.

Zhou Houjian graduated from the Department of Electronics of Shandong University in 1982, then entered the Qingdao TV Factory (the predecessor of Hisense), was promoted to director in January 1992, and two years later took up the position of general manager of Qingdao Hisense Electric Appliances. It can be said that Zhou Houjian has worked in Hisense for nearly 40 years and has been in charge of Hisense Shuaiyin for 30 years. Zhou Houjian, who came from a technical background, attaches great importance to hisense's technology research and development.

"It can be said that Zhou Houjian created Hisense and injected it with the genes of science and technology." At present, China's home appliance enterprises have completed the leap from imitation to independent innovation, and Zhou Houjian's innovative spirit has been running through the growth history of Hisense, and has also completed the stage of scale for Hisense, laying the foundation for its true development towards a century-old international brand. Liu Buchen, a senior observer of the home appliance industry, believes.

The latest financial report released by Hisense Group after the completion of the mixed reform shows that it achieved revenue of 175.5 billion yuan last year, an increase of 24% year-on-year, a record high.

At the same time, Hisense Group's international layout is accelerating, and overseas business has become an important driving force for its performance growth. Hisense's overseas revenue last year was 73.1 billion yuan, an increase of 33% year-on-year, and overseas revenue accounted for 42% of total revenue. Among them, the proportion of overseas independent brand revenue has even exceeded 80%.

In addition, Hisense's diversified industries, including commercial displays, smart transportation, medical ultrasound and other B2B products, are blooming everywhere in the international market. In 2022, the B2B industry will become a more important strategic development direction for Hisense.

Nowadays, internationalization has been elevated to an unprecedented and important position in Hisense's strategic layout. Jia Shaoqian, president of Hisense Group, previously said: "Hisense has invested more than 10 billion yuan overseas in 5 years, and its overseas revenue will surpass that of China within three years."

The emphasis on overseas markets can also be seen from the change of head of Hisense Group.

Zhou Houjian was succeeded by former vice chairman Lin Lan, born in 1958, graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Tennessee university of science and technology in the early years with a doctorate, and joined Hisense in 2006. Hisense Group commented that it is "an active practitioner and firm implementer of Hisense's internationalization strategy". At that time, Hisense's overseas independent brands accounted for less than 10% of the total revenue, and in 16 years, Hisense completed a 70% growth, and in the past 4 years, it has doubled its overseas revenue.

Looking at the current mainstream home appliance giants, the proportion of overseas markets is increasing, of which 45% of the United States, about 50% of Haier, and more than 50% of TCL, most of them put forward the strategy of "scale reengineering" and "large heads overseas".

"At present, Hisense has developed to the stage of international breakthrough, and it needs people with international vision and background to operate." The development of China's home appliances has entered the era of stock, and Chinese companies are thinking about where the future development space is under the new scale goal, and the overseas market is the key to the breakthrough. Liu Buchen said.

After that, Hisense may also further change its management system to international management.

"Hisense Group has formed a C-end, B-end two-wheel drive, domestic and international development pattern, hisense leadership changes are more based on the consideration of enhancing the vitality of enterprise development." This inheritance will also bring more international management experience and promote Hisense Group to accelerate its transformation into an international management enterprise. Ding Shaojian, founder of Nail Technology, thinks.

It is worth noting that "Lin Lan is only one year younger than Zhou Houjian, and will be the key figure in Hisense Group's transition to an international enterprise, and will also hand over the baton to a younger management team in the future, with a heavier transitional color." Some people close to Hisense revealed to the "Securities Daily" reporter.

The second generation of young people take over the baton Innovation and breakthroughs have become a new historical mission

Zhou Houjian's retirement has long been signs, in November last year, after Haier founder Zhang Ruimin bid farewell to the core decision-making level of Haier Group for 37 years, the market came out of the news that "Zhou Houjian stepped down".

In recent years, the issue of succession of home appliance companies has also become a hot topic many times. In addition to Zhang Ruimin and Zhou Houjian, Ni Runfeng, He Xiangjian and Huang Hongsheng have all retreated behind changhong, midea and Skyworth.

The famous "Zhu Dongpi" in the history of Gree Electric Appliances also ended due to the retirement of the founder Zhu Jianghong, and there is still suspense about who will become the successor of Dong Mingzhu.

With the retirement of Zhou Houjian, it can be said that China's mainstream home appliance brands have completed the "new and old" handover. Most of China's home appliance giants have completed the transition from the first generation of founders to the second generation of young management teams, and have fully entered the era of the second generation of young and middle-aged management teams. In the new historical period, the second-generation management team that grew up in the inheritance has also been given a new mission.

"The mission of the middle and young generation management is different from that of the first generation of founders, the first generation is mainly entrepreneurship and development, and the second generation is facing innovation and breakthroughs. At present, China's home appliance companies have become an important force in the world. Completing the leap from Chinese brands to international brands and single home appliance companies to diversified technology giants is an important mission undertaken by the second-generation management team. Liu Buchen said.

Zhang Jianfeng, executive deputy secretary general of the China Household Electrical Appliances Business Association, said: "Chinese home appliance companies will complete the process of leaping from Chinese brands to international brands during the second generation of young and middle-aged enterprises, and will also give birth to global consumer electronics giants such as Samsung and Sony in the true sense. ”