Growing a brand’s market presence provides opportunity and excitement. It also requires a leader with industry experience and local acumen. For Kipling^® China, that’s Lucy Xi.

Xi is the General Manager (GM) for Kipling® China, where she oversees strategic management, sales and channel management, marketing and merchandising for the Shanghai-based team. She joined the VF family in 2014, after leading sales for other apparel and retail companies.

Hometown: Shanghai, China

Family: Xi is mother to a 10-year-old daughter.
Her parents live 10 minutes away and she frequently 
spends time with her relatives in the area.

Life Outside VF: Xi is a big proponent of working out,
hitting the gym two to three times each week to 
run, do yoga and other cardio training.

Best Advice Ever Received: "Only if you make
the process right, and the mix of people right, will
the results come out right."

Here she sheds light on her personal motivations and some of the unique opportunities and challenges facing Kipling China.

What brought you to VF to be the GM for the Kipling brand in China in 2014?

Before VF, my roles and responsibilities focused on sales. I wanted to broaden my scope of work to include other functions like marketing and product, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work for a great brand like Kipling.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, I wanted to be a singer. Every time I looked at singers on stage, I'd always imagine being in that role. That's my personal interest. 

In terms of what I do now, the general manager role is the right fit for me. It's offered me a wider scope to manage not only the sales side of things, but also marketing, product, strategic planning, inventory planning and finance.

What inspires you in your role?

I think China is in a very rapidly changing period right now. Dynamic changes in China are changing the country and even changing the world. I feel very fortunate to live in this environment.