New York, NY, March 25, 2017, Columbia Business School hosted its 10th Annual China Business Conference, attended by over 700 business professionals, scholars and students from around the world. During the conference, a panel moderated by Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs, Ronald Schramm, discussed the key drivers, challenges and the outlook for Chinese outbound M&A activities. Michael S. Weiss, Executive Director of Business Development and Mergers & Acquisitions at Cordlife Singapore, who works with Sanpower Group on cross-border investing, also attended the panel discussion.

From left to right: Steven Tseng, Partner of PwC’s Global Transfer Pricing Network; Michael S. Weiss, M&A Adviser at Sanpower Group; Andrew Feller, Senior Managing Director at ZZ Capital International; Alex Hao, Partner with JunHe

Mr. Weiss summarized Sanpower’s M&A strategies, saying that Sanpower puts a real focus on the quality and notoriety of the businesses it acquires. The company empowers overseas management teams to deliver on the growth strategy in their host markets. Primarily employing native executives ensures preserving critical knowledge of the local terrain, as well as relationships and connections with key domestic constituencies. It also designs and implements attractive performance-based incentive compensation plans to align management interests with shareholders.

Mr. Weiss added that another main aspect of Sanpower’s strategy is to “land” (i.e., import and localize) acquired businesses in the Chinese market to tap significant incremental consumer demand and also benefit the Chinese populace. While many businesses may fare well in their home markets, many lack the requisite access, wherewithal and/or right partners to succeed in the Chinese market on their own. By utilizing its vast local resources to land acquired operations in China, Sanpower can significantly increase the total addressable market, pivoting acquired businesses for future growth.

Mr. Weiss further pointed out that in any given opportunity, Sanpower forms deal teams comprising both experienced M&A professionals and seasoned industry experts. This combination ensures quality in transaction execution, as well as the necessary technical expertise to properly evaluate a specific set of underlying assets.