FCC club lunch with Philip S. CARMICHAEL

Speaker: Dr. Philip S. CARMICHAEL
President Haier Asia-Pacific
Topic: Can China develop a global brand?

Dr. CARMICHAEL will share his experiences and insights into the challenges and obstacles facing Chinese companies in their bid to become global brands.

China has evolved into the world’s manufacturing centre with a growing number of companies taking leadership roles in driving the economy. But when it comes to the brand image of these Chinese companies, the situation is more ambivalent. Newsweek recently dubbed these engines of the Chinese economy “Generic Giants”.

To be truly global or iconic, a brand must be financially successful and innovative, but also go beyond the tangible and be both aspirational and inspirational. Scandals involving product safety and quality have been a major setback to all Chinese companies which are viewed with increasing suspicion.

One company that may be breaking out of that “generic” mould is appliance-maker Haier. The company’s entire brand ethos has been predicated on its founder ZHANG Rumin’s tireless approach to raising quality and standards.

Haier is the largest home appliance brand in China and second largest white goods manufacturer brand in the world, has a presence in over 160 countries around the world, with the Asia Pacific region identified as the engine of growth for the Group.

Mr. Philip S. CARMICHAEL was appointed President of Haier Asia Pacific in August 2008. In this capacity, he is responsible for charting the company’s growth across the region and developing strategies for marketing, sales and customer service for all Haier products in Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Haier, Mr. CARMICHAEL served a number of senior positions with renowned IT companies such as Fusion Systems, Lexmark Asia Pacific and Rockwell & EG&G Services, where he spearheaded the growth of these companies to become leaders in their respective competitive space.