11. From China to the World: Brand Excellence, Agility, and Going Global with Ye Han

Episode notes

“ In China, three-month-old insight can already be outdated.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