Working together: building a network
On the 15th of November, 70 leading executives in China joined the 3i Asia team and the global Growth Capital Partners in Shanghai for the second Asia People Programmes* Forum.

Testimonies from Ted Goold, Hans Hess and Li Lin-Hua gave a flavor of what it means to be a member of the 3i Global People Programmes*, and how experienced business leaders can work with 3i.

An external guest panel discussion on private equity trends in China combined with interactive sector breakout sessions, plenty of networking and a Gala dinner with lively entertainment ensured that it was a very fruitful event for all participants.

China is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and also a key market to 3i. We’ve already invested USD 280 million in greater China. The successful completion and continued development of a number of investments in the region has demonstrated the power of 3i's global network.

• Nish Kankiwala, former CEO of Burger King International and Yuka Yueng, former CEO of the Master Franchisee for KFC in Hong Kong, were brought in for their experience in international and regional markets.
• Li Linhua, CEO of Shanghai Huazhe Bund Development Co., helped to identify opportunities in the Chinese real estate sector and introduced "Joyon Changsha" (an affordable residential real estate development project in Changsha, capital city of Hunan province, China). With his facilitation we made a USD 50 million investment in June 2007.

3i is committed to China for the long run. We’ve helped over 25 businesses that we invested in Europe and the US to enter the China market. We’re helping Chinese businesses to explore both domestic and global development opportunities. We plan to further increase our total investment in China, investing USD30 - 200 million per transaction in quality management teams, scalable, leading Chinese businesses. 

* Please note that the People Programmes has now changed its name to the Business Leaders Network.