New research from Brand Finance highlights the growing influence of Chinese business leaders, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and strategic growth
BEIJING, 28 February 2025 – Business leaders from China are gaining greater global recognition for their leadership in innovation and transformation, with nine distinguished CEOs earning places in the Brand Guardianship Index (BGI) 2025, according to a new report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy.
The updated Brand Guardianship Index places a greater emphasis on public perceptions, evaluating CEOs on their leadership, brand protection, and long-term value creation, with a focus on ethical leadership and global responsibility. These leaders have gained recognition for their ability to navigate a rapidly changing global market while maintaining ethical business practices, further solidifying China’s influence in global corporate leadership.
Leading the charge for China is Jun Lei, CEO of Xiaomi, who ranks 8th globally with a BGI score of 86.8 out of 100. This reflects his strong performance in areas such as ‘AI-readiness’, ‘strategy & vision’, ‘commercially shrewd’, and ‘positive change’ among informed audience. Renowned for spearheading Xiaomi’s global expansion and innovation in smart technologies, Jun Lei exemplifies forward-thinking leadership in the consumer electronics sector.
Following closely is Chuanfu Wang, CEO of BYD, ranked 10th globally with a BGI score of 84.5 out of 100. This achievement is attributed to his performance in key areas such as ‘strategy & vision’, 'long-term value focus’ and ‘sustainability’ among analysts and journalists. Under his stewardship, BYD continues to solidify its position as a leader in the global electric vehicle market, advancing sustainable mobility solutions.
Huawei’s Zhengfei Ren makes a debut this year, ranking 22nd globally with a BGI score of 81.1 out of 100. This was backed by him achieving good scores for ‘strategy & vision’, 'understanding the importance of brand and reputation’ and ‘positive change’ among respondents, highlighting his capability to drive Huawei’s resilience and sustained innovation.
Similarly, Pinduoduo’s CEO, Lei Chen, enters the BGI 2025 for the first time, securing the 23rd position with a score of 80.9. This score reflects his leadership in driving Pinduoduo’s growth as a dominant force in China’s e-commerce sector. His success is attributed to strong scores in areas such as ‘strategy & vision’, ‘commercially shrewd’ among informed audience, and ‘understanding the importance of brand and reputation’ and ‘positive change’ among analysts and journalists. Lei Chen’s ability to navigate both the groups have been instrumental in positioning the brand for continued success and influence globally.
Huateng Ma of Tencent ranks 24th globally with a BGI score of 80.7 This score is attributed to his strong performance in areas such as ‘strategy & vision’, ‘commercially shrewd’ among informed audience, and ‘understanding the importance of brand and reputation’ and ‘positive change’ among analysts and journalists. Ma continues to be recognised for his strategic leadership of WeChat, a platform that plays a pivotal role in China’s digital ecosystem.
Another new entrant from China to the BGI this year is Shou Zi Chew of TikTok/Douyin, ranked 75th with a score of 75.5. This result is attributed to his strong performance in ‘strategy & vision’ and ‘understanding the needs of customers’ among informed audience. His leadership in navigating the rapidly evolving social media sector has garnered significant global attention for the brand.
Scott Chen, Managing Director, Brand Finance China, commented:
"As we celebrate the achievements of Chinese CEOs in the Brand Guardianship Index 2025, it is clear that their influence on the global business landscape is growing stronger. The remarkable leadership of these individuals exemplifies China’s ability to drive technological innovation, sustainability, and strategic growth across industries. Their forward-looking approaches continue to set global benchmarks for leadership excellence."
The Brand Guardianship Index 2025 reveals that perceptions of sustainability remain integral to CEO reputation. There is a strong correlation between a company’s sustainability efforts and the public perception of its CEO, with nearly half of the variation in CEO reputation attributed to how committed to sustainability the CEO is perceived to be.
However, this year’s findings highlight a shift in priorities. The most critical driver of CEO reputation is now ‘cares about employees’, reflecting heightened expectations for empathy in leadership amid economic uncertainty, mental health challenges, and rapid technological changes. Other key drivers include ‘positive change’, ‘trustworthy’, ‘customer needs’, and ‘sustainability’.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
