The University of Newcastle’s John Zhao and Legal Director for Yum! Brands China, has taken out the 2012 Australia China Alumni Award for Corporate Achievement.
Mr John (Zhigang) Zhao is the Legal Director (China Division) for Yum! Brands Inc. and is based in Shanghai.
Mr Zhao graduated from the University of Newcastle with an MBA and has 16 years experience as a leading lawyer, providing legal guidance and management for a number of large companies.
He previously acted as Law Division Manager for BlueScope Steel (Shanghai) and Senior Legal Counsel of the Shangri La Hotel and Resort Group (China).
Currently at Yum! Brands, the world’s largest fast food restaurant company in terms of system units (nearly 38,000 restaurants around the world in more than 110 countries), Mr Zhao is responsible for mergers and acquisitions, finance, franchises, supporting chain system and information technology. Most recently, he was involved in the acquisition of Little Sheep Group limited (currently 300 chain restaurants in China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Taiwan, US, Japan, South Korea and Canada and is now overseeing the integration of all its legal entities in China. ■