On Day 8 we visited Giordano at its prime location at the heart of Nanjing Road in Shanghai’s trendy shopping district. Mr Bernie Mah, U of A School of Business alumni and Executive Chairman of Giordano’s China region, had made a special trip from Hong Kong to greet our class.
This tour was definitely a highlight of our visit, as Mr Mah passionately answered our questions all afternoon, describing in detail all aspects of Giordano’s manufacturing, strategy, international trade, ecommerce, government relations, retailing, and marketing operations. It was an impressive live case study of a company that has become hugely successful in China, returning back to China after having been forced out of the Chinese market between 1994-2000 due to disagreements with government officials.
Mr Mah’s energy and enthusiasm was immensely inspiring to us, as he discussed innovations in all aspects of his operations that earned his company a 2008 Hong Kong Exchange Corporate Governance Excellence Award. A great finish to an amazing learning experience!
Giordano's China office and retail store located on Shanghai's Nanjing Road
Mr Bernie Mah, Executive Chairman of Giordano China and U of A alumni, explains how Giordano went from being shut out of the Chinese market in 2000 to achieving its present day position as a retail leader in China
