On February 12, 2025, CCBC hosted the Second Edition Forum of Rapid and Sustainable Growth: Innovative Strategies for Chinese-Canadian Businesses at the University of Toronto. This year’s forum convened business leaders, academics, and entrepreneurs to examine strategic approaches to corporate growth in both Canadian and Chinese markets. Despite a significant snowstorm that began that afternoon in the Greater Toronto Area, the event saw a very strong turnout, with approximately 110 attendees actively participating in the discussions.

 

>> Click here to see more photos from the event

Photos courtesy TTL MEDIA STUDIO

 

Set against the backdrop of the VUCA era, the forum addressed the need for innovative strategies to strengthen core competencies amid uncertainty. Keynote speaker Mr. Noah Xie, Chairman of Kmind Consulting, returned for a second time to share insights on Kmind’s Next Generation Strategy, a methodology that integrates Eastern and Western strategic thinking. Drawing from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and modern management theories, Mr. Xie demonstrated how businesses can navigate fierce competition and achieve sustainable growth.

 

Following his keynote, a panel discussion with prominent entrepreneurs and executives offered additional insights into strategic adaptation in today’s complex business landscape. The panel included Chenggang HAN, General Manager of Canada Royal Milk; Sheriden Huang, CEO of Willow Springs Winery; Tim Gu, Chairman of Unisync Group; and Philip Xie, General Manager of Midea Canada. The event concluded with a dynamic Q&A session, allowing attendees to engage directly with experts and gain fresh insights for their own business strategies, and closing remarks from Bijan Ahmadi, CCBC Executive Director and COO.

 

Event Language: Mandarin

 

Tickets: CCBC Members: Free; Non-Members: $100 + HST

 

Address: University of Toronto, Hart House, Debate Room, 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H3

 

About the Speakers:

 

Noah XIE
Founder and Chairman
Kmind Consulting

 

With over two decades of professional experience and research, Mr. Noah Xie has guided over a hundred firms in developing their corporate strategy. Specializing in the fusion of Eastern wisdom with Western business theories, he navigates firms to secure strategic opportunities, build competitive advantages, and attain sustainable growth, positioning them as market leaders and driving industry development.

 

Since 2008, Mr. Xie has shared his strategic theories and insights, benefiting over 50,000 business owners. In June 2023, Mr. Xie presented the Next Generation Strategy at MIT, Brown University, and the Harvard Club of Boston, becoming the first Chinese expert to do so. In June 2024, Mr. Xie was invited to speak at MIT, Harvard University, and Harvard Club of Boston, where he had an in-depth discussion with Professor Robert Kaplan of Harvard Business School, and Peter Walker, Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company.

 

In recent years, Mr. Xie has led Kmind in guiding dozens of firms to become industry leaders, including but not limited to China Feihe, Bosideng Group, Yadea Holdings, HOdo Group, GONEO, ANGEL, and Xiaoxiandun, leading seven companies to surpass an annual revenue of 10 billion RMB.

 

谢伟山
君智战略咨询
创始⼈ 董事⻓

 

谢伟山深研企业战略二十余年，主导了上百家企业战略咨询，具有深厚理论与丰富实践经验。他深谙商业之道，尤其擅长将东方智慧与西方理论融合应用于战略实践，帮助企业锁定战略机会、构建竞争优势，最终协助企业实现良性增长、成为行业龙头、引领行业发展。

 

自2008年起，谢伟山致力于将最新战略实践通过授课及论坛演讲等形式传授至广大企业家，至今影响企业家50000余名。2023年6月，谢伟山携“新一代战略”登陆哈佛CLUB、布朗及MIT，成为首位在哈佛波士顿俱乐部进行企业战略分享的中国专家。2024年6月，谢伟山再次受邀赴MIT及哈佛发表演讲，并于哈佛CLUB与哈佛商学院教授罗伯特·卡普兰和麦肯锡前全球董事彼得·沃克同台对话。

 

近年来，谢伟山带领君智成功协助包含飞鹤乳业、波司登羽绒服、雅迪控股、红豆集团、公牛集团、安吉尔高端净水、小仙炖鲜炖燕窝等行业龙头在内的数十家企业实现增长，助力其中七家企业营收突破百亿。

 

 

Chenggang HAN
General Manager
Canada Royal Milk

 

Mr. Chenggang HAN (Master in Veterinary Microbiology) joined Canada Royal Milk in 2018, where he initially served as Quality Manager until 2021. Since late 2021, Mr. Han has held the position of General Manager at Canada Royal Milk.

 

Commencing his dairy industry career in 2002, Mr. HAN has held various roles, including Area Supervisor, Quality Manager, Production Manager, Project Manager, Business Development Manager, and Factory Manager, at European enterprises operating in China, such as Nestlé, Bayer, and Food Union.

 

韩成钢
加拿大皇家妙可公司
总经理

 

韩成钢 是中国农科院预防兽医学硕士。

 

韩先生2018年加入加拿大皇家妙克公司，2018-2021年任质量经理，2021年底至今任加拿大皇家妙克公司总经理。 2002年开始入行乳制品行业，先后在雀巢，拜耳，food union等在华欧洲企业做过 奶区主管，质量经理，生产经理，项目经理，商务经理，工厂经理等不同职位。

 

 

Sheriden Huang
CEO
Willow Springs Winery

 

Sheriden Huang is a systematic problem-solver in management, specializing in business system modeling. He earned a postgraduate degree from Hull University in the United Kingdom and worked as a marketing researcher at Oxford Brookes Business School during the early 1990s. With extensive knowledge in business and a deep understanding of Chinese culture, he has continuously succeeded in international trade business for over 30 years across various industries.

 

Currently, Mr. Huang focuses on promoting Ontario wine both locally and internationally. Under his leadership, Willow Springs Winery has won multiple awards in recent years and is now one of the fastest-growing wineries in Ontario. Its wine sales have been steadily increasing year after year.

 

In addition to his work in the wine industry, Mr. Huang is active in community service. He is a director of the Markham Richmond Hill Vaughan Chinese Business Association and President of the Toronto Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) Association.

 

黄振发
首席执行官
柳泉酒庄

 

黄振发, 90年代初留学英国，在英国赫尔大学取得管理学院硕士学位，专注于管理学系统构建领域的研究，曾在牛津布鲁克斯学院担任市场学研究员， 三十年来，凭借丰富的商业知识和对国际贸易行业的不断了解，在商业经营上取得了不错的成绩。

 

黄振发目前担任柳泉酒莊总裁，专注于安省葡萄酒、冰酒在加拿大本地和国际市场的推广，在他的带领下，柳泉酒莊出产的葡萄酒和冰酒的市场声望和销量双双持续上升！柳泉酒莊的冰酒产量近年来稳居安省前十，并且已连续10年荣获加拿大和北美各项葡萄酒大赛的金奖，柳泉酒莊的葡萄酒和冰酒不仅进入多伦多高档餐厅酒单，还远销海外，赢得了来自海内外的认可和赞誉。

 

黄振发不仅全身心投入安省葡萄酒和冰酒的推广工作，他还积极参与社区工作，他目前担任万锦市、烈治文山市及旺市华商总会理事和多伦多象棋会的会长，为华人企业和主流社区之间建立桥梁，致力于促进商业发展及推动社区繁荣。

 

 

Tim Gu
Chairman
Unisync Group

 

Mr. Tim Gu is a distinguished entrepreneur and business leader with over 25 years of experience. As Chairman of Unisync Group (TSX: UNI.TO), a publicly traded company and one of Canada’s largest uniform suppliers, Mr. Gu has been instrumental in providing uniforms to top-tier clients such as Air Canada, WestJet, and Tim Hortons.

 

In his capacity as Owner and President of E.Star International Inc., he oversees a major apparel manufacturing operation, inclusive of three garment factories in the Toronto area, catering to prominent clients like Canada Goose and the Canadian Department of National Defense.

 

Additionally, Mr. Gu is the co-owner of Tilley Endurables Inc., renowned for its premium hats, and Willowwood School, a well-regarded Toronto-based private school with a 40-year history.

 

His diverse business portfolio extends to real estate investments and high-end custom home building. Mr. Gu’s commitment to community and business development is exemplified by his 23-year tenure as Vice President of the Scarborough York Region Business Association. Complementing his extensive practical experience is an MBA from the Rotman School, University of Toronto.

 

Tim Gu
集团董事长
Unisync Group

 

Tim Gu，是一位拥有超过25年经验的杰出企业家和商业领袖。作为Unisync Group（TSX：UNI.TO）的董事长，这是一家上市公司及加拿大最大的制服供应商之一，Tim在为加拿大航空、WestJet和Tim Hortons等顶级客户提供制服方面发挥了重要作用。

 

作为E.Star International Inc.的总裁，他负责监督重大的服装制造业务，包括三家位于多伦多地区的服装工厂，其显著客户包括加拿大鹅（Canada Goose）和加拿大国防部。

 

Tim还是以其高级帽子而闻名的Tilley Endurables Inc.的共同拥有者，以及拥有40年历史的尊贵多伦多私立学校——Willowood School的共同拥有者。

 

他的多元化商业兴趣包括房地产投资和高端定制住宅建造。Tim作为士嘉堡约克区商业协会副会长的23年任期，体现了他对社区和商业发展的承诺。他在多伦多大学Rotman商学院获得的MBA学位补充了他广泛的实践经验。

 

 

Philip Xie
General Manager
Midea Canada

 

Philip Xie is an accomplished executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in marketing, sales, and operations across manufacturing, retail, OEM, and eCommerce. He has a proven track record in driving business growth, leading cross-functional teams, and executing strategic initiatives to achieve significant market share and revenue growth in North America.

 

As General Manager of Midea Canada, Mr. Xie oversees more than 50 professionals, achieving 35% year-over-year growth and doubling eCommerce revenue. Under his leadership, Midea Canada secured the number 1 market share in microwaves, freezers, and air conditioners.

 

Previously, as Assistant General Manager at Midea America Corp., Mr. Xie led a 130-plus employee team, increasing Amazon sales sevenfold and building robust eCommerce operations. Through OMNI-channel strategies, he achieved substantial breakthroughs in Retailer.com sales.

 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Culture Exchange (English) from Sichuan International Studies University in China.

 

谢鹏
美的集团
加拿大分公司总经理

 

谢鹏先生在制造、零售、OEM 和电子商务的营销、销售和运营方面拥有20年跨国公司高管经验。他擅长推动业务增长、领导跨职能团队和执行战略计划以在北美实现显著的市场份额和收入增长。

 

作为美的加拿大分公司的总经理，谢先生领导 50 多名专业人员，实现了 35% 的同比增长和电子商务收入翻一番。在他的领导下，美的加拿大公司在微波炉、冰柜和空调领域获得了第一的市场份额。

 

此前，作为美国分公司副总经理，谢先生领导 130 多名员工的团队，将亚马逊的销售额提高了七倍，并建立了强大的电子商务运营体系。他通过全渠道战略，促进了公司产品在 Retailer.com 平台销售取得了重大突破。

 

他拥有四川外国语大学国际文化交流（英语）文学学士学位。

 

 

Jeff Zhang
Regional Director, Central Canada
Canada China Business Council

 

Jeff Zhang has over 30 years of international experience in private, public and non-profit organizations in a variety of sectors including E-commerce, oil and gas, retail, commercial real estate, education and financial services. Prior to joining the Canada China Business Council, Mr. Zhang worked in establishment and operation management at a Sino-Foreign joint venture company and in strategic partnership management at a Fortune 500 multinational company. He also led and assisted a number of Canadian companies and educational institutions into China where he was responsible for strategic partnerships and branding establishment.

 

Mr. Zhang has an MBA in marketing and international business from Concordia University in Montreal and is fluent in Mandarin and English. He is a frequent guest speaker at professional business associations in Canada.

 

Jeff Zhang
区域总监，加拿大中部地区
加中贸易理事会

 

Jeff Zhang拥有超过20多年服务于政府、私营以及非营利组织机构的国际经验，涉及的领域包括电子商务，石油和天然气，零售，商业房地产，教育和金融服务。 在加入CCBC之前，张先生在一家中外合资企业从事项目管理和公司运营管理工作，并在一家财富500强的跨国公司中从事过战略伙伴关系管理工作。 他还领导并协助了许多加拿大公司和教育机构进入中国，负责战略合作伙伴关系和品牌建立。

 

张先生拥有加拿大康考迪亚大学市场营销和国际商务MBA学位，精通英语和普通话。他经常受邀在加中两国商会活动中担任演讲嘉宾。