“In China, three-month-old insight can already be outdated.”

Kantar advisory partner Ye Han on what brand strategy really looks like when the market moves faster than your planning cycles — and why “brand excellence” is no longer a marketing function, but a company-wide operating system that links strategy, product, experience, and people.

Based in Beijing, Ye Han has spent two decades helping both international and Chinese companies navigate the realities of China’s consumer ecosystem: the speed of innovation, the friction between China and HQ decision cycles, and the hard trade-offs between agility and long-term brand equity. She also shares what she’s seeing as Chinese champions move outward — from product-first expansion to building global brand management systems.

In this episode:

• Why China forces a different definition of agility (and what “18 months vs 4 months” means in practice)

• The hidden cost of moving fast without strategy: how companies become copyable when brand equity is missing

• What “brand excellence” means now: consistent experience across touchpoints, employees, and corporate strategy

• How to reduce HQ–China friction: principles stay global, relevance goes local

• Chinese companies going global: the mistake of buying awareness without building meaning + linkage to category

If you work across China and global HQ, lead brand or strategy in fast-changing markets, or want a clearer lens on why transformation fails when systems cannot keep up with reality, this conversation will recalibrate how you think.

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If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

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Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

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