Haier Group CEO Zhang Ruimin honoured for management thinking at prestigious Thinkers50 Awards

Thinkers50 gave tribute to the fact that Zhang Ruimin is continuing to forge novel management practices to adapt Haier, in response to the disruptive nature of technology and the Internet. The company, the world’s number one Major Appliances Brand for six consecutive years*, is transforming from a traditional manufacturing company to a platform and services-based company in which teams of employees operating as their own CEOs are being empowered to work directly with consumers and utilize resources from all around the world to explore their entrepreneurial visions.

Thinkers50 also praised Haier’s application of a distinctively Chinese and progressive business philosophy when granting the award, showing the increasing importance and acceptance in the western world of novel Chinese management practices, for which Zhang Ruimin is paving the way.

Zhang Ruimin at the 2015 Thinkers50 Award Gala

Zhang Ruimin: Winner of the Ideas into Practice Award at Thinkers50 2015

Zhang Ruimin was the first ever recipient of the new and prestigious ‘Ideas into Practice’ award, which was granted as acknowledgement of his novel business philosophies and the extraordinary achievements Haier has achieved over the last 30 years. The award recognized Zhang’s management practices as having fuelled Haier’s growth from a small factory in the 1980s into its position today as the world’s leading home appliance provider and ‘one of the world’s most innovative companies’.

To read an analysis of the foundations of Zhang Ruimin’s leadership and Haier’s success by Thinkers50 founder Stuart Crainer, go to: http://thinkers50.com/blog/what-leadership-looks-like/

Haier CEO and Chairman elected into 2015 Thinkers50 ranking

Zhang Ruimin is the only Chinese thinker to be selected in the esteemed 2015 Thinkers50 ranking, recognition of his innovative management methods that were described by Thinkers50 as combining the best Chinese thinking with the best Western practices. More than 20,000 people from nearly 30 countries took part in the selection process.

Zhang Ruimin has received a number of recent prestigious accolades in recognition of his management and leadership achievements, including:

§  Best Practices CEO Award, Best Practice Institute (May 2015)

§  The Most Reform-Minded Entrepreneur of the Year, Phoenix Finance Summit (January 2015)

§  The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders, Fortune magazine (April 2014)

Des Dearlove, Thinkers50 co-founder, said:

“Management thinking is no longer the preserve of the West. The last few rankings saw an Asian invasion. In 2015, we are seeing the arrival of Chinese management thinkers on the world stage.”

Zhang Ruimin, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Haier Group, said:

“This award gives me lots of courage and confidence. There is no final answer in management, only questions. I would like to take this opportunity to give my appreciation to all of Haier’s employees. It is only through their efforts that we have accomplished the achievements that we have made to date.”

* with a 10.2% retail volume share (source: Euromonitor International Limited, based on 2014 data)