Counsel to Counsel - January 2008 - (Page 16) profiles in partnership Earning Trust Across Borders Hisense Group and Carlton Fields By Amy I. Stickel Hisense business executives are embracing the challenge, with help from a team of attorneys from Carlton Fields. “There are three steps that are required to develop a world-renowned brand,” says Zhou Houjian, Hisense chairman of the board and chief executive officer. “First, we have to make sure our personnel have an international flavor. Secondly, we have to make sure that our product has an international market we can export to. So we need to understand the market in other parts of the world. And third, we have to make sure the capital is in good flow. “[Our desire to expand] is giving rise to the need for legal services,” says Zhou. “We require a law firm that understands our culture and needs.” R udyard Kipling once wrote, “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” Clearly, Kipling didn’t anticipate the global economy of the 21st century. He almost certainly never pictured the relationship that Hisense Group, based in Qingdao, China, and Carlton Fields have developed as Hisense strives to become a global player in the electronics field. Hisense, which got its start in the late 1960s producing transistor radios, is now a multibillion-dollar-revenue-generating consumer electronics conglomerate with dominant market position in various products in China. It’s also actively working to spread its brand around the globe and has a stated goal of turning the Hisense brand into a well-known one in the world market. Step 1: An International Team Hisense’s needs include a global team of business executives and outside counsel. In 2006, a mutual friend introduced Zhou to Seth P Joseph, a shareholder at Carlton . Fields—and admitted Sinophile—who was visiting Qingdao, a port city located in the eastern part of China. Zhou and Joseph met for lunch and quickly decided that Carlton Fields could help Hisense gain access to capital markets in the West. “Our relationship and mutual trust have grown tremendously,” says Zhou. “It’s been speedy, but in a positive way.” According to Joseph, mutual trust and respect are key. “To established Chinese companies, relationships are everything. Hisense executives know that we are zealous advocates for Hisense, and that we will do what is best suited for them.” Joseph has long been interested in China, and his background has helped him smooth over cultural and business differences. As an undergraduate, he majored in political science with an emphasis on China and over the 30 years since then has made numerous trips there, including several over the last couple of years in his role as relationship partner with Hisense. LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® Photo provided by Hisense Group Seth P. Joseph (below), Carlton Fields, and Zhou Houjian, Hisense Group Photo by Jay Carlson 16
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