AS Watson Group, a leading international health and beauty retailer, has made an announcement regarding the leadership of Watsons China. Fred Chan and Vivian Nie have been appointed as Co-Managing Directors of Watsons China, taking over from Kulvinder Birring, the current CEO. Birring will assume the role of CEO at Marionnaud Group, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings.The appointments of Fred Chan and Vivian Nie as Co-Managing Directors will come into effect from April 2024.
Dominic Lai, the Group Managing Director of AS Watson Group and Executive Director of CK Hutchison, expressed his gratitude to Kulvinder for his remarkable contributions to Watsons China over the past eight years. Under his leadership, he has successfully repositioned the Watsons brand as the top retailer in our category nationwide. Dominic Lai eagerly anticipates Kulvinder’s expertise driving the growth strategy at Marionnaud Group, focusing on luxury perfumeries and cosmetics retail in Europe.
Continuing on a positive note, Lai expressed his delight in appointing Fred Chan and Vivian Nie as Co-Managing Directors of Watsons China. Both individuals have been integral to the business for several years and have played significant roles in the successful transformation of the O+O (Offline plus Online) retail model. Lai is confident that Fred and Vivian will continue to evolve the growth strategy, adeptly navigating the rapidly changing market in Mainland China. Their primary focus will be on providing customers with a differentiated shopping experience, quality products, and excellent services.
Fred Chan joined Watsons China in 2011 as the Operations Director of South China when the company had just over 1,000 stores. Under Fred’s leadership, the business has since expanded to an impressive 3,800 O+O stores. Throughout his tenure, Fred’s responsibilities have grown both geographically and professionally, culminating in his current position as the General Manager of Sales Operations.
Vivian Nie became a part of Watsons China in 2018 as the Marketing Director and was subsequently promoted to General Manager of Customer Growth in 2021. In 2023, she took on additional responsibilities for the trading function. In particular, Vivian played a vital role in developing the MyStore O+O business model on the Wechat Enterprise Platform, which has engaged with an impressive 43 million customers. She was also involved in the recent launch of OptimO, Watsons’ retail media business.
