Leadership perspectives: An interview with Liming Chen, chair of Greater China, World Economic Forum
Liming Chen is the Greater China chairman of World Economic Forum. He is a BASF supervisory board member. Prior to his service at WEF, he was the chairman of IBM Greater China Group from early 2015 to mid-2022. He also served as the president of BP Greater China from 2008 to 2015. Liming had a career path that covers various industries and roles. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Xinjiang Shihezi Agriculture College in 1982 and his master’s degree from Cornell University in 1989. He and his family currently live in Beijing.
In this next installment of our Leadership Perspectives video series, Heidrick & Struggles’ Hailong Xu speaks to Liming Chen, the Greater China chairman of World Economic Forum. Liming shares his career journey and what leadership skills and qualities he feels have helped him along the way, as well as how he dealt with challenges. He also discusses the different value systems at work in local Chinese companies compared to multinational companies and shares how he thinks multinational companies should approach doing business in China, particularly in terms of localizing leadership and talent development.
About the interviewer
Hailong Xu (hxu@heidrick.com) is a partner in Heidrick & Struggle’s Beijing office and a member of the Industrial Practice.