October 11, 2022, HONG KONG: FGS Global, the strategic advisor for the stakeholder economy, announced today that it has hired Xuan YAN (“Yan Xuan”) as Partner, senior advisor China, further strengthening the firm’s global geopolitical capabilities and expanding its client offer in cross-border public affairs and transactions, risk and issues management, C-suite advisory and senior strategic counsel to Board leaders. The firm also announced the launch of its “Global China Bridge” as part of its global geopolitical practice.
In his new role, Yan Xuan will focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and the US and will work closely with FGS Global’s geopolitical and corporate reputation teams worldwide, building ties between regions and providing Chinese, US and multinational clients with seamless, cross-border counsel.
Yan Xuan built his career in China and the US over the last thirty years, most recently as Operating Partner at North Asia’s largest buyout firm, MBK Partners. Prior to that, he was a Senior Advisor to Europe’s premier private equity company, Eurazeo. Other leadership roles have included senior executive positions in public and regulatory affairs at Microsoft, Qualcomm, Oracle and AT&T/Lucent. He also led Nielsen’s and SGI’s growth and success in the Greater China Region as their President.
A sought-after corporate governance expert, Yan Xuan has served on the Board of Directors of Las Vegas Sands, Alibaba Health, Shenhua Holdings, and Cambridge Industries. A Richard M. Nixon Scholar and graduate of Duke Law School, Yan Xuan began his career in the United States at the international law firm Dechert, and in more recent years he became a public policy partner at the U.S. lobbying specialist, Squire Patton Boggs. Dedicated to serving the interests of American companies and building an effective bridge between the Chinese and U.S. governments, Yan Xuan is a former Vice Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of USITO, an association of leading U.S. IT companies and an influential IT and trade policy advocacy group.
Faeth Birch, CEO UK, Middle East and Asia said: “Yan Xuan is a unique talent and advisor with gravitas who is equally comfortable in the boardrooms of China as he is in the U.S. and Europe. He will be a bridge builder for the firm, during a period of heightened geopolitical tension and complexity, and he will add to our diverse global talent bench. I am excited to welcome him to our team.”
Joel Johnson, Co-CEO North America, and long-time advisor to domestic and foreign companies in Washington D.C., added: “Yan Xuan has a sterling reputation in the U.S.-China corporate world and commands a high degree of respect in legal, financial and policy circles. The timing is good to welcome a seasoned senior advisor like Yan Xuan to advise both our multinational clients and Chinese clients going global.”
Yan Xuan said: “I am excited to have joined this leading firm and look forward to working closely with FGS Global colleagues all over the world to provide corporate leaders the advice they need to succeed. China is important to Western companies, and access to U.S. and European markets and suppliers is critical for China. The geopolitical complexity companies face means they need more insightful and actionable advice than ever.”
Introducing the Global China Bridge Offer and FGS Global’s Geopolitical Practice
Global politics are shaping the operating environment of companies more than at any time during the past generation, forcing corporate leaders to re-examine their planning assumptions and strategic bets. Part public affairs, part risk assessment, part commercial strategy and positioning, our geopolitical risk offer strives to help companies put their best selves forward, avoid political pitfalls and culture clashes, and take advantage of the opportunities emerging from geopolitical changes. FGS Global is a geopolitical thought partner to clients, anticipating what lies ahead and supporting clients in both offense and defense. The practice has around twenty dedicated Partners and Managing Directors in Asia, the US, the UK, Europe and the Middle East who commonly work on cross-border mandates, across practices including public affairs and transaction support, and are committed members of the Geopolitical Practice.
FGS Global’s China Bridge Offer is a major focus of the firm’s Geopolitical Practice, comprising a pool of senior, multi-lingual, diverse, cross-cultural and cross-functional advisors in the financial and political capitals of the world who employ their deep knowledge of China and its relations with other countries to advise companies on business-critical situations amidst a prevailing dynamic of competition and mutual distrust. Our advisors are active and full-time, and unlike purely political or public affairs consultancies, they bring corporate and financial expertise to FGS Global’s leading team of lobbyists and regulatory advisors in political capitals. Yan Xuan will work closely with FGS Global’s Head of China Paul Yang, Hong Kong Partner Ginny Wilmerding, Berlin partner William Klein and Washington DC partner Brett O’Brien to build out this offer.
To learn more, please contact GlobalChinaBridge@fgsglobal.com.
About FGS Global
FGS Global is the strategic advisor for the stakeholder economy. Headquartered in NY, the firm is a global strategic advisory and communications consultancy, with over 1200 multidisciplinary experts across the world’s major financial, government, business and cultural centers. FGS Global is a leader in crisis, corporate reputation, public affairs and capital markets and M&A advisory, as well as an acknowledged leader in boardroom communication counsel. The firm supports its clients in addressing a myriad of stakeholder concerns leveraging its capabilities in research and insights, media placement as well as content, digital and data. The company was formed through the merger of leading strategic communications consultancies Finsbury Glover Hering and Sard Verbinnen in December 2021.
FGS Global offers seamless and integrated support with offices in the following locations: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dubai, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Paris, Riyadh, San Francisco, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach and Zurich. The firm employs around 100 people across Asia.
About Yan Xuan
Xuan (“Yan Xuan”) joined FGS Global in fall 2022 to expand its capabilities in cross-border public affairs, geopolitical risk, transaction and board and C-suite advisory.
An experienced private equity professional, he was most recently Operating Partner at North Asia’s largest buyout firm MBK Partners. Prior to that, he was Senior Advisor to the leading European PE/VC company Eurazeo SE.
As a seasoned policy advocate, he formerly worked as a public policy partner with the global law firm Squire Patton Boggs. His prior government, legal and regulatory affairs and corporate compliance experience has included functional leadership roles at Microsoft, Qualcomm, Oracle and AT&T/Lucent.
Yan Xuan’s C–suite experience positions him to offer insights to FGS Global’s growth driven clients. He led the rapid growth of talent, corporate reputation, revenue, and profit of two publicly traded U.S. companies as their Greater China President – Nielsen and Scientific Games International, and the restructure and turnaround efforts of one of the largest Chinese education companies as its CEO.
Yan Xuan’s corporate governance experience includes chairing compensation and strategy committees and serving on audit and compliance committees at US, Hong Kong and mainland China listed companies including Las Vegas Sands, Alibaba Health, Shenhua, and Cambridge Industries. He was an elected Vice Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and was a member of the Board of Directors of USITO, an association of leading U.S. IT companies and an influential IT and trade policy advocacy group. Yan Xuan’s non-profit Board service has included Duke Law School and Shanghai Jiaotong University Antai School of Economics and Business Management.
Yan Xuan received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages and Duke University School of Law, respectively. He attended advanced management programs at Harvard Business School and Stanford Business School. Yan Xuan was one of the first recipients of the Richard M. Nixon Scholarship.
To reach him by email, xuan.yan@fgsglobal.com; by mobile phone: +86-180-1978-5166 or +852 9436-8841.
