Chinese entrepreneurs enter global management thinkers' ranking

LONDON - Thinkers50, the well-known ranking of global business thinkers, announced its 2019 ranking of management thinkers here on Monday night.

Two Chinese entrepreneurs alongside with representatives from 15 countries and regions entered the new Thinkers50 ranking.

Zhang Ruimin, chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Haier Group, entered the list for the third time, ranking at No 15 this year. He is described as a world-renowned entrepreneur, creating a unique, innovative, evolving business model that fuses management philosophies of East and West.

"In a digital world of globalization, connectivity and personalization, there is no such thing as a perfect product ... people will buy scenarios, or concepts, where the products might be free and just enablers of services," said Zhang, during a conversation with Adi Ignatius, editor-in-chief of Harvard Business Review, at the Thinkers50 2019 Awards Gala held the same day in London.

Zeng Ming, the former chief strategy officer of Alibaba Group, made the list for the first time at No 28. He is described as a global strategy expert, advocating the value of total transparency in the high-tech online market in China and beyond.

The Thinkers50 ranking this year is topped by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, professors of strategy at INSEAD and creators of Blue Ocean Strategy for the first time.

Thinkers50 was launched in 2001 by Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer, both internationally recognized as British experts and commentators on management thinking. Every two years, the global ranking of the 50 most influential business thinkers is published.