China Flexpat

German Expat Career and Life coach, Rebecca, lived in China for 7 years, working as a flexpat at a Volkswagen joint venture. She has not only managed to grow from an entry level position in HR into a management position, but also dealt with a busy family life together with her husband and 4 kids. Overcoming many expat and flexpat related challenges over the years made Rebecca start her own busines...

Adina Deacu is an Environmental Psychology Researcher & Consultant and has been living in China since 2012. As a foreign entrepreneur in the service industry in China, it is extremely hard to get customers' attention, trust and therefore, business leads. Adina has found ways of distinguishing herself by attending purely Chinese networking events, accessing vast sources of information, only ava...

Amelie and her partner have found work opportunities in China. He was an expat, she worked on a local contract at Bosch in Suzhou! In this episode, Amelie explains the process of getting hired at such a prestigious company and how the job on a local contract worked out for her. The difference to expat packages is huge, but as a couple in this situation, it can be a real win-win. This is what you’l...

German IT-entrepreneur, Arne Weber, has been living in China for 10 years. Together with his Chinese wife, they have built their company Faytech from scratch, growing their turnover from zero to 30 million USD and over 300 employees worldwide in only 10 years. Do you think this is fast? Chinese speed is even faster. Learn from Arne why he is not always working at Chinese speed and why it is gettin...

HongHong Xu, originally from Beijing, has moved to Germany 30 years ago with hardly any money in her pocket, studied hard and got to work at the world’s largest chemical company, BASF. She learned to work between two cultures and through her traditional approach "hard work and humility", she got promoted and assigned to work in Hong Kong for 5 years. After 24 years in the corporate world she has s...

Ruddy is originally from Belgium and has 25 years of experience as a Business Leader, -Psychologist and Entrepreneur in Talent, Leadership & Organisation Development, including 15 years in China. In this 15 minute episode he explains what modern managers, who are dealing with China, need to do in order to not only survive but also thrive in post-pandemic China. This is what you'll learn: The 1...

Hermann Simon is the Founder and Honorary Chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners. He is an expert in strategy, marketing and pricing. He is the only German in the “Thinkers50 Hall of Fame” of the most important management thinkers in the world. In German-speaking countries he has been continuously voted the most influential living management thinker since 2005.  In China, the “Hermann Simon...

Chloe Goncalves, originally from France, is a digital marketing & e-commerce expert, currently working as Asia E-commerce Manager at L’Oréal. Before joining L’Oréal, Chloe worked for 4 years in Alibaba’s Hangzhou headquarters which she entered through Alibaba's Global Leadership Academy, for which she was selected among 3,000 applicants. In this episode she shares her advice on how other young...

Giada is originally from Italy and has studied Chinese language and the economic and cultural dynamics of contemporary China. During an internship in Beijing, at one of the leading foreign-owned WeChat agencies, she has learned all the basics to jump-start her career in China related marketing. The Corona-Crisis has forced her to move back to Italy but she seized the opportunity to help an Italien...

Arslan is originally from Pakistan and has become an entrepreneur, developing the private sector between Pakistan and China. He has built several organisations that promote exchange and learning between the two countries and its peoples, both in business and culture. Arslan holds both a bachelor's and master's degree from North China Electric Power University in Beijing. In this episode he shares...

Originally from Spain, Marina has studied mandarin in Beijing and later graduated from Nankai University in Tianjin with a master's degree in Chinese economics and politics. Marina’s fluency in Mandarin and love for China has helped her career soar, opening the door to a whole new world in tech. Now she is the Head of Business Development for Yodo1, a renowned company within the gaming industry wh...

Miro Li is a native Chinese and has been living in Hong Kong for a decade, now living in Shenzhen. In 2017, Miro founded Double V., a consulting company helping overseas brands enter the China market. In 2019, Miro founded CHINAble Academy, a training and resources sharing platform for foreign industry leaders to offer courses and workshops about China business, Internet, e-commerce and marketing....

Robbert Gorris is originally from the Netherlands and has developed a strong interest in China very early. He studied in Taipei and has been living in China for 12 years. His kids went to a Chinese school which taught him invaluable lessons in Chinese culture. Just recently he moved back to Europe to help more foreign companies set up their businesses in China. In this episode he shares not only h...

Xavi Sanz was born in Barcelona (Spain) and has studied and worked in numerous countries around the globe. Three years ago he accepted the challenge of his company to build a Chinese branch office in Hangzhou to expand their freight forwarding business into China. Xavi came to China with his wife and kids and has experienced China extensively from both a professional and personal side. In this epi...

Nadezhda is originally from Kazakhstan, studied in London and has moved to Hangzhou three years ago. After obtaining her Chinese master's degree, she has decided to start her own marketing agency in China, called "SanQ". Now she uses her extensive work experience from her time at the world's leading cosmetics brand to create the best social media and branding solutions for businesses in China. In...

During his 10 year stay in China Simon has become an expert on cross-border trade and logistics from and to China. Although E-commerce has been booming for years there are still many online sellers struggling with their sourcing and shipping out of China. Simon is making a difference and creates a seamless and transparent supply chain to empower online sellers. In this episode he shares his person...

Sascha Rensen is originally from Germany and has started his career in China as a teacher at a university in Nanchang. After some time in the country he has successfully transitioned into a business developer for a Chinese construction company and is now based in Wuxi. In this episode he explains what it means to be a foreign sales guy or business developer in China and how that helps the organisa...

Noriko Takagi has conducted 5,000 interviews and placed 300 executives in East Asia. Her long work experience across three continents allowed her to neutrally work in international and multi-cultural environments and adapt to change quickly. In this episode she shares practical advice on how to properly prepare for job interviews in general and also provides hints on how you can differentiate from...

Arnaud is originally from France and has been working in China for 5 years. He started his career in Chinese social media marketing very early and has experienced both the social aspects of working in Chinese teams but also the professional aspect of designing localised marketing campaigns across many popular social media platforms. In this episode he shares his insights on how foreigners can succ...

Karl J. Weaver is a US citizen and has worked in numerous flexpat roles in Taiwan and Mainland China since 1985. As a bilingual (English & Mandarin) public speaker he shares his first hand experience of leading the charge of mobile payment development in China in the past 3 decades. We found Karl to be an unlimited source of advice when it comes to China's leading technology industries such as...

Leonardo is originally from Italy and has worked in the UK and China for many years, mostly in international sales, across several industries. In this episode he shares his personal experience of working in a Chinese work environment and what challenges and perks you can expect when coming to the Middle Kingdom. As the host of the International Business Podcast, he has developed a clear sense of w...

Jim Nelson has been active in China since 1991.  In his past activities he led an electronics factory, an investment management company and has started a microfinance loan operation. Today, his company, SHI Group China recruits trustworthy talent for western companies active in China. His goal is to find the best candidates with character, skills and leadership ability. In this episode he sha...

David von Schwerin is originally from Austria and has been living in China for 15 years. He holds a rare Chinese green card, is married, has kids and has built his career in logistics in China from scratch. In this episode he shares his rich experience collected building his successful flexpat life. This is what you'll learn: How an internship in China influences your career Losing your feeling of...

Irina is originally from Russia and has been living in China for the past 6 years. Beside her work, she is volunteering at BeHive Shanghai, where she meets countless international students, young professionals and hiring companies. In this episode she shares clear and detailed advice on how to effectively apply for jobs nowadays in China. Especially for all students who did not graduate from a top...

Najma is originally from the US and has started her China adventure as an English teacher in Shanghai. This way she had the opportunity to learn more about China and of course, its eating habits. Unfortunately she experienced health problems caused by the drastic change in her nutrition and eating habits. As Najma has worked in nutritional consulting in the US before, she decided to start her own...