Wei Zhu succeeds Chuan Neo Chong as Accenture Greater China boss

Accenture has brought in Wei Zhu from Standard Chartered Bank to lead its Greater China operations. Zhu, who takes over the reign as Chairman at the start of next year, succeeds Chuan Neo Chong, who has led Accenture Greater China for the past two and a half years.

Wei Zhu joins Accenture from Standard Chartered Bank Private Equity (SCPE), where he was a managing director and served as global co-head of private equity. In the role, he led SCPE’s investment and operations in Greater China and Northeast Asia and was a member of the bank’s global leadership team and investment committee. Additionally, Zhu served on the boards of directors for several companies in which SCPE had invested.

Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bank, Zhu held managing director roles at CVC Capital and in investment banking with Goldman Sachs Gao Hua Securities – a joint venture between Goldman Sachs Gao Hua Securities and local Chinese company Beijing Gao Hua Securities. Earlier in his career, Zhu worked for over a decade in the consulting industry. In his most recent roles, he served as China head of A.T. Kearney and Roland Berger.

In his new role at Accenture, Zhu has been tasked with leading the firm’s Greater China footprint, which comprises client work across mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The firm serves the region through offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Taipei. Accenture has been operating in Greater China for more than three decades and serves a wide variety of clients in the region, from state-owned entities to private enterprises and multinationals. 

Commenting on Zhu’s appointment, Gianfranco Casati, Accenture’s group chief executive for growth markets said, “Wei’s tremendous experience throughout Asia – including 30 years in management consulting, private equity, investment banking and industrial management – makes him a great choice to lead our business in Greater China. He will oversee Accenture’s long-term commitment of helping Chinese companies to continuously improve, globalise and expand as well as create jobs in growth sectors such as digital technology and product and process modernisation.”

“With an unmatched scope and scale of capabilities, Accenture is the partner of choice for many of the world’s leading companies, and I am honoured and excited to lead its business in Greater China,” Wei Zhu said. “Key areas of focus will be helping our clients drive their innovation and digital transformation agendas – which are critical to growth and competitiveness – and a continued commitment to the development of our people.”

Wei Zhu graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor degree in Foreign Service. He also received his MBA from the University of Chicago.

The current Chairman of Accenture Greater China, Chuan Neo Chong, has been in the role since September 2015. Prior to that, she led the firm's Products operating group (Retail, Consumer Goods, Life Sciences, Travel and Transport, Automotive, Infrastructure) for the Asia Pacific region. In a statement, Neo Chong has confirmed she will remain at Accenture to work with Wei Zhu on a successful transition.

According to a recent report from rival accounting and consulting firm EY, Chinese mid-market firms are relatively positive about future growth.