Acting Now for What’s Next - Mazars successfully participated in the 6th CIIE
During the six-day Expo, Mazars in China hosted nearly 30 lectures and forums, in the manner of webinars and live streaming, to share its insights on the latest industry hot topics, digitalization, sustainability, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, cross-border transaction, information protection, corporate compliance etc. and conducted in-depth panel discussions among industry leaders across the luxury, fashion, hotel and AI sectors. At the same time, Mazars in China also successfully held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony and the Suzhou Industrial Park investment policy promotion conference with the Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Committee. The two sides are committed to accelerating the park’s construction into an open and innovative world-class high-tech zone and strengthening its strategic connection function between the domestic and international markets, to jointly optimize the business environment. During this period, heavyweight guests such as leaders of Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, and Mr. Jean Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister of France, visited the booth in succession, generating positive vibes.
Mazars in China attends the 6th China International Import Expo
“The scale of this year’s CIIE is unprecedented, and we are very excited as exhibitors. Despite the changing global environment, we are encouraged by the Chinese government’s firm steps to continue opening up and creating development opportunities,” Dr. Julie Laulusa, Managing Partner of Mazars in China and a member of the Group Executive Board, said.
“China has always been a key market for Mazars, and at the CIIE, a global stage, we have demonstrated the Group’s professional services and deep insights, engaged in deep thinking with many industry leaders and experts, signed strategic contracts with our partners, and further deepened the mutual understanding and relations with partners in various industries.
“As our theme of this year, ‘Act Now, Embrace the Future’, is conveyed, we hope to base our commitment on the current needs of the digital world and the sustainable development of enterprises, and take active actions to help customers from all walks of life achieve responsible operations and transformation, and create a sustainable future together.”
Dr. Julie Laulusa, Managing Partner of Mazars in China and a member of the Group Executive Board
Empowering the park economy and creating a regional economic development engine
On the morning of November 8, the Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Committee Strategic Cooperation Signing Ceremony and Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Policy Promotion Conference were held. Mr. Weiming Jiang, Director of Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Committee, Mr. Yuchun Bian, Deputy Director of Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Bureau, Dr. Julie Laulusa, Managing Partner of Mazars in China and a member of the Group Executive Board, and Ms. Lynn Xing, Partner of Mazars in China and Partner of Mazars Global China Services, attended the signing ceremony.
Mazars in China signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Committee
Mr. Yuchun Bian, Deputy Director of Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Bureau, introduced a series of important achievements made by Suzhou Industrial Park and shared new opportunities for the future development of the park at the signing ceremony.
“Suzhou Industrial Park has built a ‘2+3+1’ characteristic industrial system, attracting many projects and talents. In the past 29 years, we have made remarkable achievements,” he noted. “The park has secured top position in the comprehensive assessment of the overall development of national economic and technological development zones in China for seven consecutive years, and ranked fourth in the national high-tech zone comprehensive ranking. Last month, we won at the United Nations Investment Promotion Awards 2023. We believe that in the future, we will form a closer and mutually beneficial cooperation relationship with Mazars, further promote the investment of multinational enterprises, help excellent Chinese enterprises go overseas, and better open the market and gather talents.”
Group photo of the signing ceremony
(From left: Ms. Lynn Xing, Partner of Mazars in China and Partner of Mazars Global China Services; Mr. Weiming Jiang, Director of Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Committee; Dr. Julie Laulusa, Managing Partner of Mazars in China and a member of the Group Executive Board; and Mr. Yuchun Bian, Deputy Director of Suzhou Industrial Park Investment Promotion Bureau)
“Suzhou Industrial Park is one of the most open, innovative and business-friendly regions in the country, and we are pleased to leverage Mazars’ rich resources and expertise to enable regional economic prosperity,” Dr. Laulusa said. “Through the cooperation, the two parties will strengthen cooperation in the future in terms of resource docking, information consulting, investment promotion and other aspects, further stimulate the economic vitality of the park and achieve win-win development.”
Multi-perspective interpretation, discussing corporate innovation and sustainable development
During the six days of the CIIE, Mazars experts and their special guests took a global perspective to analyze and discuss cutting-edge trends such as digitalization and sustainability, as well as the important issues that businesses need to address today. Among them, a number of “high-end dialogues” jointly presented by senior executives and professionals from international groups provided companies with more decision-making references for brand operations and market development.
On November 6, Mr. Bin Wang, Vice President of Dataa Robotics, was invited for an interview with Dr. Laulusa, entitled “Innovation and Technology: The Driving Force for Business Development”. They had an in-depth discussion on the development of artificial intelligence in the world and China, analyzing the impact of the development of AI on human beings, the change of future life, the development trends of AI, and many other topics of concern within and outside the industry.
The panel discussion on “Innovation and Technology: The Driving Force for Business Development”
As China continues to advance in the field of science and technology, Chinese companies have taken the lead in applying AI. After years of development, domestic AI has achieved commercial and scale effects in security, finance, customer service, retail, medical health, advertising and marketing, education, urban transportation, manufacturing, agriculture and other fields. “AI is developing at a high speed, and how to make AI better and safer for human beings in the future is a question to think about not only for the scientific and technological community, industry, and the government, but for all of us,” Mr. Bin Wang, Vice President of Dataa Robotics, said.
“The AI industry is driven by innovation, and the large amount of training data required in the algorithm field and the physical hardware with low cost and high efficiency are the two major problems that need to be solved at present, and they are also the focus of the company. I believe that with strong development capabilities, a broad application market, and the country’s increasing emphasis on AI education, China is expected to lead the world in AI and robotics in the future,” he added.
On November 7, Ms. Haiyan Li, General Manager of Caudalie China; Ms. Angie Ma, Vice President of L’Oréal China and L’Oréal China Dermatological Beauty Division General Manager; and Ms. Lily Zhou, Chief Operating Officer of LVMH – Sephora Greater China, were invited to the theme forum “How to Build a Sustainable Brand in the Era of Green Consumption”. As experts in the beauty industry, they had an in-depth interaction on related topics such as the efforts made by brands on the road to sustainability, the challenges encountered in the process of practicing sustainability, and consumers’ expectations of brands.
Group photo of panel discussion on “How to Build a Sustainable Brand in the Era of Green Consumption”
(From left: Ms. Haiyan Li, General Manager of Caudalie China; Dr. Julie Laulusa, Managing Partner of Mazars in China and a member of the Group Executive Board; Ms. Angie Ma, Vice President of L’Oréal China and L’Oréal China Dermatological Beauty Division General Manager; and Ms. Lily Zhou, Chief Operating Officer of LVMH – Sephora Greater China)
“As a brand born on a French wine estate, Caudalie’s DNA is closely linked to nature,” Ms. Haiyan Li, General Manager of Caudalie China, said as she began by explaining to the audience the importance of sustainable development for the brand. “Sustainability is one of the fundamental concepts of Caudalie to achieve the same frequency resonance with consumers. In addition to all product ingredients from nature, we actively initiate or participate in projects such as 100% Plastic Recycling program and 1% for the Planet to help achieve carbon neutrality and plastic neutrality.”
Ms. Angie Ma, Vice President of L’Oréal China and L’Oréal China Dermatological Beauty Division General Manager, shared the group’s sustainability philosophy: “In response to the growing interest in sustainability among global consumers, L’Oréal is accelerating its sustainability process by transforming itself, empowering the business ecosystem and contributing to global challenges, and is committed to promoting sustainable consumption and playing a leading role in the beauty and fast-selling industries.”
“Sephora includes more than 100 brands, and one of the things we are constantly investing in is how we can connect the good sustainability ideas of these brands in our sustainability strategy and deliver them to consumers,” Ms. Lily Zhou, Chief Operating Officer of LVMH – Sephora Greater China, said, believing that “in the long run, what can really make consumers take the initiative to pay is the value system and sense of mission of the company. The sustainability consciousness of consumers, especially young Chinese consumers, drives us to change and move forward. Because for Sephora, sustainability has never been the ‘one option’ but ‘the option’.”
In November 8, the forum “How Digital Strategies Can Help Brands Grow” was successfully hosted by Dr. Laulusa. Mr. Alexandre Chieng, CEO Asia Pacific of AGATHA PARIS; Ms. Sophie Phe, Chief Executive Officer of Rémy Cointreau Greater China; and Ms. Li Wen, Director of Brand and Communication, Hyatt Greater China, explored a series of digital hot topics such as how brands can benefit from digital strategies, how to balance online and offline strategic layouts, and how digitalization interacts with sustainability.
Group photo of panel discussion on “How Digital Strategies Can Help Brands Grow”
(From left: Mr. Alexandre Chieng, CEO Asia Pacific of AGATHA PARIS; Dr. Julie Laulusa, Managing Partner of Mazars in China and a member of the Group Executive Board; Ms. Sophie Phe, Chief Executive Officer of Rémy Cointreau Greater China; and Ms. Li Wen, Director of Brand and Communication, Hyatt Greater China)
“To be a successful brand, you have to be first in the digital space,” Mr. Alexandre Chieng, CEO Asia Pacific of AGATHA PARIS, said. “The challenges facing the digital process are growing exponentially, and all channels are changing all the time – platforms that used to be sales channels are becoming social, and what used to be social platforms are becoming new options for brand sales. But we are pleased to see that the challenges mean that there are still many potential opportunities that can be explored, and the momentum behind this is not to be underestimated, and it is worth focusing on and exploring in the digital process.”
Speaking about her views on digitalization, Ms. Sophie Phe, Chief Executive Officer of Rémy Cointreau Greater China, said: “Digitalization gives brands more opportunities for precise promotion, but also brings them closer to consumers. We can provide more customized and personalized services according to consumers’ different ideas and purchasing behaviors. For example, our flagship stores on some e-commerce platforms are operated and managed directly by the company team. Under this model, we can establish more direct communication with consumers and have more accurate judgment and control of product prices and marketing. At the group level, we are still in the process of digital transformation, and my job now is to mobilize all departments to work together to ensure the brand benefits from digitalization.”
Ms. Li Wen, Director of Brand and Communication, Hyatt Greater China, shared the group’s digital initiatives under the “In China, for China” strategy, saying: “In fact, we have long felt the need and urgency of digital transformation, and Hyatt’s relevant layout investment in the past decade has also increased year by year.
“Rather than choosing a more mature digital ‘path’, we prefer to develop digital tools independently and customize relevant functions based on the needs of consumers. To better fit the needs of the group and its hotels, we empower hotel management and improve work efficiency while continuously improving consumers’ offline scene experience and enhancing brand loyalty.”
Multiple heavyweight guests visit booth, Mazars expects to win the future with an open attitude
At noon on November 6, Mr. Jincheng Wu, Deputy Secretary-General of Shanghai Municipal Government, Deputy Secretary of CPC Pudong New Area Committee, and Acting Mayor of Pudong New Area; Mr. Chao Yang, Member of Standing Committee of CPC Pudong New Area Committee, and Executive Vice Mayor of Pudong New Area; and Mr. Jian Xiao, Director of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lujiazui Administration Bureau, visited Mazars CIIE booth. Dr. Laulusa warmly welcomed the leaders and introduced highlights of the booth and Mazars supporting activities at the expo this year.
Mr. Jincheng Wu (center), Deputy Secretary-General of Shanghai Municipal Government, Deputy Secretary of CPC Pudong New Area Committee, and Acting Mayor of Pudong New Area; Mr. Chao Yang (left), Member of Standing Committee of CPC Pudong New Area Committee, and Executive Vice Mayor of Pudong New Area, chat with Dr. Laulusa at Mazars CIIE booth
Mr. Wu and his delegation affirmed Mazars’ contribution to Pudong’s economic development, and placed high hopes on the firm continuing to do a good job as a bridge between China and foreign trade. Dr. Laulusa thanked the government for its consistent support and care, and said that Mazars would continue to firmly develop in Pudong, serve Shanghai, and radiate through the whole country, giving full play to its own advantages, and helping boost the Pudong New Area economy further.
Mr. Jean Pierre Raffarin (second from right), former Prime Minister of France and Special Representative of the French Government for China Affairs, visited Mazars booth.
On the afternoon of November 8, Mr. Jean Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister of France and Special Representative of the French Government for China Affairs, visited Mazars booth. Dr. Laulusa warmly welcomed Mr. Raffarin and his delegation, introducing Mazars’ development in China and booth events at the CIIE. Mr. Raffarin congratulated Mazars on the successful hosting of events at the expo and expressed gratitude to Dr. Laulusa and Mazars for their outstanding contributions to Sino-French relations over the years.