David Wolf is Partner, Asia at Allison+Partners, and serves as Managing Director of the firm's Global China Practice. Counseling clients in a range of industries, David created and leads a practice focused on helping clients manage the unique communications and marketing challenges that arise when Western firms do business in China, and when Chinese enterprises expand beyond the PRC. David is a recognized leader in the industry in China and a pioneer in the field of strategic corporate communications. In addition, David is called upon by regional and global media as an analyst and commentator on business in China, and contributes to publications including
Foreign Policy,
The Holmes Report,
The Fletcher Forum on World Affairs,
EuroBiz, Media, AdAge magazine, and
WARC. David is the author of
Making the Connection: The Peaceful Rise of China’s Telecommunications Giants. David’s new book,
Public Relations in China: Building and Defending Your Brand in the PRC, was published by Palgrave in 2015. Prior to joining Allison+Partners, David spent seven years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Wolf Group Asia (WGA), a Beijing-based strategic corporate communications advisory firm. Serving clients including Discovery Networks, Motorola Mobility, Google, Foxconn, Blizzard, AOL, About.com and Irdeto, WGA won both client and industry accolades and was named Asia-Pacific Boutique Consultancy of the Year for 2012 by SABRE/Holmes Report. Before starting WGA in 2005, David led the Asia-Pacific Technology Practice for Burson-Marsteller, leading a team of nearly 50 professionals in offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney. David took the Asia-Pacific post after having founded B-M’s Technology Practice in China in 2000, growing it into China’s largest technology, media, and telecommunications public relations organization and winning a dozen major industry awards for client work. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, David was Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Claydon Gescher Associates (CGA), a boutique strategy and public affairs consultancy based in Beijing with a focus on media, entertainment, and telecommunications. He was responsible for daily operations and long-term growth planning. Clients served include Intel, HBO Asia, Reuters, DeBeers/Stockdale, PanAmSat, Turner International, and Irdeto Access. David’s position prior to CGA was Managing Director in China for TV Shopping Network Ltd. of Australia. Originally hired as a consultant to design a market entry strategy and operations plan, the company appointed David soon after to undertake the effort. Within 90 days of plan approval David had launched the 24-hour satellite service in China, with cable-TV affiliates, a telephone center, and the necessary payment and delivery infrastructure to deliver orders within 72 hours to any major city in China. By the time of his departure from TVSN, David had arranged distribution to 11 million cable TV homes in 12 provinces, built a state-of-the-art fulfillment facility in Guangdong with a call center, warehouse, and 60 full-time staff processing thousands of orders each week. TVSN China is now a part of Barry Diller’s InterActive Corporation (IAC.) Most important, he and his team laid the logistical groundwork that made e-commerce available to people across China. David has lived in China since 1995 and currently resides in Beijing with his family. David holds a Masters degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis. In addition to English, he is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish. David is active in the international scouting movement, spends his spare time camping and boating, and is a PADI-certified Rescue Scuba Diver. He also blogs at
Silicon Hutong and
The Peking Review.
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