| Division: | ECKART |
| Company: | ECKART Shanghai Ltd |
| Role: | Marketing Manager, China/ Vietnam/ Taiwan- Coatings |
| Location: | Guangzhou |
| Country: | P.R. China |
| Has been with the company since: | 1993 |
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What have you done before you joined ECKART?
From 1988 to 1992, I studied at the Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, finally graduating with a BSc in chemical engineering. From 1997 to 2000, I obtained my MBA from Jinan University.
Professionally, from 1993 to 2000, I worked as a sales supervisor in the leather & textile industry in South China with a prior J/V partner. Promoted to senior sales supervisor, I continued to work in sales for the coating industry in South China from 2001 to 2008. From 2004 to 2008, I worked in marketing for the powder coating business line in China, Vietnam and Taiwan (CVT)
In which personnel development programs have you participated to date?
From 2006 to 2008, I participated in the DP China. Meanwhile, I also attended some training courses on sales skill and management from Mercury and AMA.
From 2001 to 2008, my activity was focused on the development of business to meet sales targets in South China. Management of distributors, maintaining the working efficiency of the distribution channels, and team development were further aspects of this activity.
Which tasks respectively projects belong to your responsibilities?
Since 2009, the focus of my work has centered on developing a marketing strategy for the business line of Coatings. This has involved defining product portfolios being sold or to be sold in CVT, such as Silta-Way; identifying, developing, and evaluating marketing strategies to support business; and developing pricing strategies for, among other things, ECKART Zhuhai products.
Market intelligence has been another important area of my work. This has entailed regularly updating the market database; updating market reports for our three focus market segments of automotive coatings, industrial coatings and powder coatings; and communicating and sharing the information within business lines.
Further areas in which I am involved include new business opportunities (looking for new market potential for existing products, enjoying responsibility for the marketing plan for new product rollout, supporting the scale-up of ECKART Zhuhai production in CVT).
How do you manage to balance work, family and leisure activities?
My family is the top priority in my life. I enjoy spending holidays with my family in China and other Asian countries or simply chatting with them about all the interesting news from the company. I practice sport for relaxation: exercising at the Total Fitness Club on Sunday or playing soccer. I like photography, which brings me close to nature and lets me share my feelings with people. I have a DSLR camera (Canon EOS D50), with 4 lenses for different purposes. My last 4-day outing took place in early January 2011 to Zhangjiajie, a famous tourist area in Central Hunan Province in China, where the blockbuster movie “Avatar” was filmed.
How was your application process?
The whole process involves the following stages: (1) receipt of the job description via AD; (2) invitation to submit by letter or email; (3) 1st stage of interview by HR manager; (4) 2nd stage of interview by business line managers; (5) approval by Management; (6) signing of contract and reporting for duty; (7) 3 months of probation; (8) final job confirmation.