China Bizz

Jacob Johansen
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China Bizz is an independent podcast dedicated to exploring opportunities and challenges for multinational companies in China. We come to you from inside China and invite only experts and thought leaders with hands-on experience leading and advising MNCs in China. My name is Jacob Johansen. I've lived and done business in China for 25 years. I am a strategy and business transformation consultant with PwC China, but China Bizz is my private project and opinions shared here, don't represent my employer. If you have ideas or recommendations, find me on WeChat (15900761226) or connect with me on LinkedIn⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobjohansen/

  1. Local or Lost - Competing in Chinese Retail

    2025. 12. 03.

    Local or Lost - Competing in Chinese Retail

    China’s retail playbook is being rewritten in real time, and repetition is a guaranteed way to fall behind. Chinese consumers move fast, get bored faster, and reward only brands that stay culturally sharp and operationally agile. The question every multinational needs to confront: how do you build long-term brand strength in a market addicted to short-term excitement? This episode of ChinaBizz goes straight into that tension. Jacob Johansen sits down with one of the most seasoned foreign retail leaders in China—Eugenio Bregolat, head of Inditex China, the group behind Zara, Massimo Dutti, Zara Home and more. Few executives have seen China’s retail evolution as deeply or as personally as he has, from arriving as a child in the late 80s to running one of the biggest fashion portfolios in the market today. Together they unpack what really drives relevance in China now: – why physical retail isn’t dead—but its purpose has changed; – why localization isn’t optional anymore; – why blindly copying “best practice” is a trap; – and how brands can avoid becoming the next short-lived hype cycle casualty.

    54분
  2. How to get up close with China’s consumers?

    2025. 11. 13.

    How to get up close with China’s consumers?

    What if everything you know about Chinese consumers is wrong? Could your data be lying—and costing your business millions? ChinaBizz, hosted by 25-year China business veteran Jacob Johansen, goes beyond dashboards and data sets to explore what really drives Chinese consumers and the companies trying to reach them. Each episode brings unfiltered conversations with business leaders, strategists, and innovators who challenge the conventional wisdom about China’s market realities. In this episode, Jacob speaks with Olivia Plotnik, a Shanghai-based strategist who traveled through 32 Chinese cities in 60 days to uncover the stories, behaviors, and trends no report could ever capture. Together, they explore what her “pulse check of China” reveals about shifting definitions of luxury, new retail experiences, and the growing confidence of China’s younger generations. Expect sharp insights, grounded observations, and lessons global brands can’t afford to ignore.

    51분
  3. AI - a path to growth for MNCs in China?

    2025. 09. 09.

    AI - a path to growth for MNCs in China?

    How can AI unlock new paths to growth for multinationals in China? How are Chinese retailers able to produce a thousand videos in the time it takes global brands to create just one? Why are 95% of corporate AI projects failing—and could “shadow AI” be the secret weapon of the 5% that succeed? Is it really true that investing in AI doesn’t have to be expensive? And most provocatively of all - why does one of my guests call AI the digital equivalent of a nuclear weapon?In this episode of ChinaBizz, Jacob Johansen engages with Etienne Charlier, Partner, 2DIY AI, and Ling Fan, Founder and CEO, Tezign, to explore the transformative potential of AI for multinationals operating in China. They discuss the current state of AI development, the competitive landscape between the US and China, and the various sectors where AI is being implemented effectively. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities for multinational companies in adopting AI technologies, emphasizing the importance of a growth mindset and the need for compliance in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Link to ink to the AI Master Course announcement mentioned by Etienne Charlier in the podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/etiennecharlier_ai-master-class-activity-7370061044498694144-5jzU

    1시간
  4. Navigating people strategy in China

    2025. 05. 28.

    Navigating people strategy in China

    Do MNCs still offer anything China’s top talent actually wants? Can “China for China” succeed with a Western decision-making model? Should HQs adapt to China—instead of forcing China to adapt to HQ? Can a MNC actually over-localise management in China? And can a multinational stay global without developing Chinese leadership? In this episode, meet Mira Lioleva, Leadership and Organisational Lead at executive search and leadership advisory firm Mercuri Urval, in Shanghai in conversation with Jacob Johansen, host of China Bizz. Connect with me on WeChat: 15800761228 or find China Bizz on LinkedIn.

    52분
  5. Navigating people strategy in China

    2025. 05. 28.

    Navigating people strategy in China

    Do MNCs still offer anything China’s top talent actually wants? Can “China for China” succeed with a Western decision-making model? Should HQs adapt to China—instead of forcing China to adapt to HQ? Can a MNC actually over-localise management in China? And can a multinational stay global without developing Chinese leadership? In this episode, meet Mira Lioleva, Leadership and Organisational Lead at executive search and leadership advisory firm Mercuri Urval, in Shanghai in conversation with Jacob Johansen, host of China Bizz. Connect with me on WeChat: 15800761228 or find China Bizz on LinkedIn.

    52분
  6. 100 days of Trump vs MNCs in China

    2025. 05. 11.

    100 days of Trump vs MNCs in China

    100 Days of Trump and MNCs in China Why is a fast reaction no longer the winning strategy in China’s new risk landscape? Is the US failing to accurately read the situation on ground in China? Why does Washington’s belief that China is on the verge of collapse risk backfiring? Why are Chinese consumers largely indifferent to escalating US tariffs? And is it now the right time for MNCs to raise their priorities directly with Chinese legislators? Dive straight into the eye of the geopolitical storm: Trump’s second term – the first 100 days, and what they mean for multinationals operating in China. Turbulent, chaotic, disorienting? Yes. But also a brutal masterclass in leadership under uncertainty. Guests: Anne-Sophie Zerlang Karlsen, Head of Operations in Asia Pacific for Maersk with her finger on the pulse of multinational operations across borders. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-sophie-zerlang-karlsen-a63b0b1/) Kenneth Jarrett, Senior Advisor with the Albright Stonebridge Group, a Washington DC-based consultancy and former U.S. career diplomat for 26 years, with multiple assignments in China. He also served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai for five years. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-jarrett-58134911/) Connect with me on weChat: 15800761558 or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobjohansen/

    55분
  7. The end of branding in China?

    2025. 04. 23.

    The end of branding in China?

    Does it spell the end of branding in China when Chinese consumers say they prefer functionality over pure emotional appeal, and 92% trust user-generated content over what brands say? Listen in when two branding and advertising heavyweights, Jenny Chan and Stephen Drummond, guest on China Bizz in this episode. For an extensive op-ed article on MNC branding in China, turn to my LinkedIn article: And feel free to connect with me on WeChat: 158007612286

    49분
  8. Can MNCs still compete in China

    2025. 03. 31.

    Can MNCs still compete in China

    - Are Chinese brands outpacing multinational giants? - Has functionality overtaken brand prestige in China? - Do MNCs genuinely understand the difference between a customer and a user—or is this blind spot costing them the market? - Is tradition holding global brands back, or is sheer arrogance eroding their competitive edge? - And here’s a bigger question—is the global auto industry on the verge of collapse? Tune in to this episode of China Bizz with automotive expert and longtime China insider Bill Russo. For a comprehensive article, "Are multinationals qualified to compete in China?" go here: For ideas or comments, connect with me on WeChat: 15800761226

    53분
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소개

China Bizz is an independent podcast dedicated to exploring opportunities and challenges for multinational companies in China. We come to you from inside China and invite only experts and thought leaders with hands-on experience leading and advising MNCs in China. My name is Jacob Johansen. I've lived and done business in China for 25 years. I am a strategy and business transformation consultant with PwC China, but China Bizz is my private project and opinions shared here, don't represent my employer. If you have ideas or recommendations, find me on WeChat (15900761226) or connect with me on LinkedIn⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobjohansen/

정보

  • 제작진
    Jacob Johansen
  • 방송 연도
    2025년
  • 에피소드
    14
  • 등급
    전체 연령 사용가
  • 저작권
    © Jacob Johansen 2025
  • 웹사이트 보기
    China Bizz