Board of Directors

Mr Anders Christian KRISTIANSEN, aged 53, has been appointed as an Executive Director of the Company and Group Chief Executive Officer since June 2018. He is a member of the Remuneration Committee and the General Committee of the Board, a director of certain subsidiaries, and a trustee of a charitable trust of the Company. Prior to joining Esprit, he was an industrial advisor for a global private equity fund, Permira. He was previously the chief executive officer and director of New Look, a global fast fashion apparel company based in London, from January 2013 to September 2017. Under his leadership, New Look transformed its business model from a traditional high street retailer to a strong omnichannel player, with an enhanced focus on brand building. Mr KRISTIANSEN was instrumental to the successful execution of a 5-year strategic plan. Prior to this role, he has held various senior executive roles in the Bestseller Fashion Group China, Staples Inc. in China and in Lyreco, an office supplies company, where he managed the business in Europe and then in Asia Pacific.

Dr Johannes Georg SCHMIDT-SCHULTES, aged 54, has been appointed as an Executive Director of the Company and Group Chief Financial Officer since October 2019. He is a member of the Risk Management Committee and the General Committee of the Board, and a director of certain subsidiaries of the Company. Dr SCHMIDTSCHULTES obtained his PhD in Finance from Ludwig Maximilians  University in Munich, Germany, and is an internationally experienced, fully-rounded finance executive. Dr SCHMIDT-SCHULTES has most recently served as chief financial officer and executive director of BMI Group Holdings UK Limited. He was the former chief financial officer and executive director of Apleona Group GmbH in 2017 and of Semperit AG Holding (a company listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange) from 2011 to 2017. He was the former deputy group chief financial officer of Telstra Corporation Limited (a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange) from 2007 to 2011. Prior to this role, Dr SCHMIDT-SCHULTES was the finance director and executive director of T-Mobile (UK) Limited (2004 – 2007) and T-Mobile Austria GmbH (2001 – 2004).

Mr. Marc Andreas TSCHIRNER, aged 48, has been appointed as an Executive Director and Group Chief Operating Officer of the Company since July 2020.  He is a member of the General Committee of the Board.  He graduated from University of Konstanz with a Master Degree in Law in 1998. Mr. TSCHIRNER is admitted to the German Bar in 2002, all Higher German Regional Courts in 2007 and as a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong in 2018. Mr. TSCHIRNER is a Registered Foreign Lawyer at Lee Law Firm, Hong Kong and has been with Roedl & Partner, Hong Kong since 2017, most recently as an External Chief Representative.

Previously, Mr. TSCHIRNER also worked for Arthur Andersen in Zurich and Ernst & Young in Zurich with a primary focus in tax law. In addition, between 2004 and 2008, Mr. TSCHIRNER held a position as Vice President at Credit Suisse Group, Zurich. Between 2008 and 2015, Mr. TSCHIRNER was an Executive Director at Bank Julius Baer, Zurich. Between 2016 and 2017, Mr. TSCHIRNER was a Director at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Hong Kong.

Ms. CHIU Su Yi Christin, aged 40, has been appointed as an Executive Director and Group Legal and Public Relations Officer of the Company since July 2020. She is a member of the Remuneration Committee and the General Committee of the Board. She graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Summa Cum Laude and from the University of Alberta with a Juris Doctor. Ms. CHIU is the head of legal for Seekers Advisors H.K. Limited, a Securities and Futures Commission licensed entity based in Hong Kong. Ms. CHIU is admitted as an attorney at law in the State of New York, USA, and a barrister and solicitor in the British Columbia Province in Canada.

Previously, Ms. CHIU worked in the Corporate Department of Hogan Lovells focusing on corporate finance, securities law matters and mergers & acquisitions. Ms. CHIU also worked at Remedios and Company, a law firm situated in Vancouver, Canada.

Mr. Hung Wai WONG , aged 43, has been appointed as an Executive Director and Group Chief Investment Officer of the Company since July 2020. He is a member of the General Committee of the Board. He graduated from Imperial College London, United Kingdom with a bachelor of science degree in physics. He possesses over 20 years’ experience in the financial services and management consultancy sectors. He has expertise in corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, fintech innovations, business development and business transformation. Mr. WONG worked for global financial institutions, such as HSBC Group, in various senior management positions across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He holds the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), CFP (Certified Financial Planner), FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute) and FRM (Financial Risk Manager) professional qualifications.

Mr. WONG was an Executive Director and Managing Executive Officer of Planetree International Development Limited, a company incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability whose shares are listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (stock code: 00613).

Dr Raymond OR Ching Fai, aged 70, is Non-executive Chairman of the Board and Non-executive Director of the Company. He was appointed as Independent Non-executive Director of the Company in March 1996. He became Independent Non-executive Chairman of the Board since June 2012 and was re-designated as Executive Chairman and Executive Director effective 1 April 2018 until his re-desingation as Non-executive Chairman and Non-executive Director with effect from 24 June 2020. He is also the chairman of the Nomination Committee and a member of the General Committee of the Board, a director of certain subsidiaries, and a trustee of a charitable trust of the Company. 
 

Dr OR was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Social Science by the City University of Hong Kong in November 2014. He is a non-executive director and non-executive chairman of China Strategic Holdings Limited, of which he was the former chief executive officer until he stepped down on 18 January 2018 and was executive director and executive chairman until his re-designation on 1 April 2018. He is also an independent non-executive director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited and Regina Miracle International (Holdings) Limited. Both companies are listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. Dr OR was the former vice chairman and chief executive of Hang Seng Bank Limited, the former chairman of Hang Seng Life Limited and a director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Cathay Pacific Airways Limited and Hutchison Whampoa Limited until his retirement in May 2009. He was also the former vice chairman and independent non-executive director of G-Resources Group Limited, the former independent non-executive director of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited and Television Broadcasts Limited, and the former deputy chairman and non-executive director of Aquis Entertainment Limited (a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange).

Mr Jürgen Alfred Rudolf FRIEDRICH, aged 82, founded Esprit's European operations in 1976 and has been a Non-executive Director of the Company since 1997. He is a member of the Audit Committee of the Board. Mr FRIEDRICH has over 32 years of experience in the apparel distribution and marketing business and is currently retired in Switzerland.

Mr Carmelo LEE Ka Sze, aged 60, has been an Independent Non-executive Director of the Company since July 2013. He is the chairman of the Risk Management Committee and a member of the Nomination Committee and the Remuneration Committee of the Board, and a trustee of a charitable trust of the Company. He is a partner of Messrs. Woo Kwan Lee & Lo, Solicitors & Notaries. He is appointed as a chairman of the Listing Review Committee of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the 'Stock Exchange') with effect from 5 July 2019. He is a convenor and  member of the Financial Reporting Review Panel of the Financial Reporting Council of Hong Kong, a Chairman of the Appeal Tribunal Panel constituted under the Buildings Ordinance, a member of the InnoHK Steering Committee, a member of the Campaign Committee and a Co-Chairman of the Corporate Challenge Half Marathon of The Community Chest of Hong Kong. He served as the chairman of the Listing Committee of the Stock Exchange from 2012 to 2015 after serving as deputy chairman and member of the Listing Committee of the Stock Exchange from 2009 to 2012 and from 2000 to 2003 respectively. Mr LEE was a member of the SFC (HKEC Listing) Committee until 1 April 2018.

Mr LEE obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from The University of Hong Kong and qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong, England and Wales, Singapore and Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 
 

Mr LEE is a non-executive director of CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Limited, Safety Godown Company Limited and Playmates Holdings Limited and an independent non-executive director of KWG Group Holdings Limited (formerly known as KWG Property Holding Limited), all these companies are listed on the Stock Exchange. He was a non-executive director of Hopewell Holdings Limited until May 2019, Yugang International Limited (now known as Planetree International Development Limited) until April 2019 and Termbray Industries International (Holdings) Limited until September 2019. He was an independent non-executive director of China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co., Ltd. until May 2020.

Ms Sandrine Suzanne Eleonore Agar ZERBIB, aged 58, has been appointed as an Independent Non-executive Director of the Company since October 2019. She is  the chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit Committee and the Risk Management Committee of the Board. She is the founder and chairman of Full Jet Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a Shanghai based and China focused brand management and digital agency specializing in digital brand strategy, e-commerce operations and 360 degree marketing. She is a member of the advisory board of Pictet Premium Brands Fund and the China board of Infront Sports & Media AG. She is also a director of Allure Systems, a start-up providing fashion companies with a solution for virtualized apparel enabling virtual try-on. 
 

Ms ZERBIB was the former non-executive chairman of Lacoste China and former executive director and chief executive officer of China Dongxiang (Group) Co., Ltd. (a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited). She was the managing director of adidas China from 1994 to 2003 and the president of adidas Greater China Area from 2003 to 2007. She was also a former director of Mecox Lane (a company listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market).

Mr Joseph LO Kin Ching, aged 64, has been appointed as an Independent Non-executive Director of the Company since January 2020. He is the chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nomination Committee of the Board. Mr LO is a chartered certified accountant, fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom, and a certified public accountant, fellow member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu ("Deloitte") in 1980 
and was a partner since 1988 until his retirement in 2016. He was chairman of Deloitte Hong Kong from 2006 to 2014 and chairman of Deloitte China from 2008 to 2014. He has 40 years of professional experience in providing auditing, financial advisory, restructuring, insolvency, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offering services.

Mr LO is a member of the Court of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a member of the Hospital Governing Committee of Queen Mary Hospital and Tsan Yuk Hospital, Hong Kong, a member of the College Council of Chu Hai College of Higher Education, Hong Kong, a committee member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council Fund; a director of Hong Kong Design Centre Limited, and a member of the Finance Committee of M+ Museum. He is an independent non-executive director of ZA Bank Limited. He served  as a member of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, Hong Kong from 2013 to 2019. He was a member of the Committee of Overseers of Wu Yee Sun College, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a member of 10th and 11th of Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and an advisor to the China Accounting Standards Committee of the Ministry of Finance of China. He was the former chairman and executive director of Bisu Technology Group International Limited (a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hongkong Limited). He was an independent non-executive director of Radisson Hospitality AB (a company formerly listed on the stock exchange of Stockholm, Sweden).

Mr. CHUNG Kwok Pan, aged 56, has been appointed as an Independent Non-executive Director of the Company since July 2020. He is a member of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee of the Board. He has been responsible for the business management of Chungweiming Knitting Factory Limited since early 1988. Mr. CHUNG also has several social positions, including a member of the 5th and 6th Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Textile and Garment Sector), Leader of Liberal Party, Honorary Life Chairman of Hong Kong Apparel Society Limited, a director of The Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, an advisor of New Territories General Chamber of Commerce, a director of Hong Kong Design Centre, Chairman of Design Discipline Advisory Board of Vocational Training Council, Chairman of Fashion Industry Training Advisory Committee, Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“HKSAR”) and a member of the Advisory Group on Implementation of Fashion Initiatives, The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR. He was also a member of the 9th Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in 1998. Mr. CHUNG obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying from Robert Gordon’s Institute of Technology, Scotland (currently known as Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen) in July 1986 and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom in May 1988. He served as an independent non-executive director of SFund International Holdings Limited (previously known as “Hanbo Enterprises Holdings Limited”) (stock code: 1367) from June 2014 to November 2016.  He has served as an independent non-executive director of High Fashion International Limited (stock code: 608) since July 2019 and an independent non-executive director of Planetree International Development Limited (stock code: 613) since 1 April 2020. These companies are listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.