Lee Kum Kee sauces welcome their first non-family chairman in 138 years, Xing Jun takes over from Lee Hui-sen

Ask AI · What is the significance of Lee Kum Kee’s first non-family chairman for the legacy of a century-old company?

Photo source: Visual China

**Blue Whale News, March 31 (Reporter Dai Yuting)**On March 30, Blue Whale News reporters learned from the Lee Kum Kee side that Lee Kum Kee’s sauces has appointed Xing Jun as chairman of the board of directors, succeeding Li Huixian.

A spokesperson for Lee Kum Kee’s sauces told Blue Whale News that Xing Jun’s appointment falls under a carefully planned succession arrangement. This appointment reflects the group’s ongoing efforts, at the overall level, to advance the modernization of the governance model of a family enterprise, integrating family management and long-term vision with the model of globally top professional leadership and governance. It is understood that Xing Jun previously served as an advisor to the board of directors of the Lee Kum Kee Group and as an advisor to the board of directors of Lee Kum Kee’s sauces.

The reason this adjustment has drawn attention is closely related to Lee Kum Kee’s long-standing and distinctive family-enterprise character. Based on publicly available information, the company was founded in 1888 and has a history of 138 years to date. In 2022, the Lee Kum Kee Group launched a new round of adjustments to its governance structure. The group centrally coordinated overall planning for its businesses, and Li Huixian was also appointed as the group executive chairman that same year. At present, in addition to the sauces business, the Lee Kum Kee Group also has segments such as Chinese herbal health products, investment management and property services, startup investments, and corporate culture advisory services.

Blue Whale reporters found that, if one follows the publicly disclosed information currently available on the group’s official website, the publicly listed chairs of Lee Kum Kee’s sauces business have all been members of the Li family. Therefore, Xing Jun’s appointment has been seen by the outside world as an important signal that this century-old family enterprise is further bringing in external professional governance forces.

So, who is the newly appointed board chairman, Xing Jun?

According to publicly available information, Xing Jun has postdoctoral research experience at Harvard and Stanford University. After moving from academia into business, she previously served as executive chair of the board of directors of Mengniu China. She was also global senior vice president of Envista Holdings and president for Greater China. She has also worked at companies such as Eli Lilly, Affymetrix, and Illumina.

Despite being rooted in the life sciences sector, Xing Jun also has intersections with the food industry. From 2019 to 2024, she served as an advisor to the board of directors of Mars Group. It is worth noting that Mars, as a global giant in sugar confectionery and pet food with a legacy of more than a century, also adopts a model of “family ownership + external manager operations.”

In addition, Lee Kum Kee’s sauces told Blue Whale News that its chief executive officer, Jing Jie, has decided to pursue new development opportunities outside the company.

By contrast, Jing Jie’s background leans more toward consumer goods and platform operations. He was appointed CEO of the Lee Kum Kee sauces group in October 2022. Before joining Lee Kum Kee, Jing Jie had served at Alibaba as group vice president and CEO assistant, as well as Tmall president. Previously, he also worked at companies including COFCO and Procter & Gamble.

The company has given a highly positive evaluation of his contributions. Lee Kum Kee’s sauces said that during his 3.5-year tenure, Jing Jie successfully further strengthened the group’s competitiveness and operational excellence, and these achievements have laid an important foundation for the group’s long-term development and capabilities.

At present, Lee Kum Kee’s sauces is actively looking for new leadership, hoping to continue this development trajectory.

On the other hand, after Li Huixian stepped down as chairman of the board of directors for the sauces business, he will continue to serve as executive chairman of the Lee Kum Kee Group. His work focus will be on strengthening the group’s overall governance framework, promoting deep collaboration among business units, and implementing the group’s long-term strategic vision. Lee Kum Kee’s sauces told Blue Whale News that he will continue to work closely with Xing Jun and the sauces business team.

Lee Kum Kee emphasized that this leadership change is part of a planned arrangement. The group’s overall strategic direction, its day-to-day operational system, and its global partner relationships all remain stable and will not be affected in any way. The Lee Kum Kee family will continue to be deeply involved in the development of the sauces business, ensuring the sustainable operation of the century-old brand and the enduring prosperity of its enterprise.

For Lee Kum Kee, entrusting the most traditional sauces business to external professional leadership is both an innovation and exploration of its family succession model and a critical step toward realizing its “millennium enterprise” vision.