Avnet China 30th Anniversary Special Issue: Those in Charge, Defining the Future

Global layout + local decision-making

Avnet's strategic focus and cultural integration

As President of Avnet China, Ms. Dong Hua has witnessed the company's journey from market pioneer to industry leader. Looking back over the past three decades, she attributes her proudest achievements to the company's unwavering commitment to the development philosophy of "Rooted in China, Serving the World," and on this foundation, its resolute promotion of localized transformation and diversified business development.

"When Avnet entered the Chinese market, our initial focus was distribution," Ms. Dong Hua admitted. "But we quickly realized that to truly establish a foothold and effectively serve Chinese customers, we had to view the Chinese market as an innovation platform with strategic depth. We had to closely align Avnet China's long-term strategy with China's national development plans , rather than simply viewing China as a sales channel for Avnet globally." This realization prompted Avnet to proactively "redirect" its operations in China, shifting from a sales-driven company to one focused on co-creating value.

The company has established a research and development (R&D) and design center in China and is actively developing capabilities across multiple sectors, including intelligent manufacturing, ecosystem incubation, and system integration. In emerging sectors such as smart electric vehicles, wind and solar energy storage and charging, and artificial intelligence , Avnet has proactively positioned itself. By collaborating with local partners, leveraging global resources, and integrating technological solutions, Avnet has grown into a deep participant and enabling partner in China's technology industry chain.

This series of strategic choices not only drove Avnet's own leapfrog development, but also enabled it to be fully integrated into the Chinese technology ecosystem, becoming the "preferred cooperation platform" for customers and suppliers, and establishing its unique position as an industry benchmark.

In terms of corporate culture, "diversity and inclusion" is not only Avnet's core value but also the cultural foundation of the company's management practices. In China, Avnet deeply integrates this value through three main approaches: empowering local talent, expanding organizational structure, and cross-ecological collaboration and co-creation.

"Using local talent to serve the local market" is a core principle. Avnet China has established a complete and independent local team, comprised of local talent from front-line sales to core management. As a member of this team, Ms. Dong Hua has witnessed and participated in many key milestones for the company in China, a prime example of cultural heritage. At the same time, the company continues to push its organizational structure downward, deploying front-line teams and back-end resources in over 20 cities. This allows local employees to serve customers locally and respond quickly to market demands, truly forming a service network that is "closer to customers and closer to their needs .

The most tangible manifestation of this is the annual Automotive Ecosystem Summit. Ms. Dong Hua cited the summit as an example, focusing on rapidly developing urban clusters such as Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hefei, Wuhu, and Chongqing . It brings together leading global automotive chip manufacturers and component suppliers with major Chinese automakers for in-depth discussions and collaboration on cross-sector topics such as intelligent driving, connected mobility, new energy vehicles, AI, and robotics. "This platform breaks down industry boundaries, fosters upstream and downstream collaboration, and fully embodies our culture of fostering collaboration through openness and innovation through diversity," Ms. Dong Hua concluded. This "internal and external" cultural integration not only enables Avnet to achieve internal diversity and inclusion, but also promotes collaborative progress and shared value within the broader industry ecosystem.

Click to enter the mini program area and view relevant information about the Automotive Summit

China's tech industry is entering a new phase of high-quality development, providing unprecedented opportunities and platforms for young people. For those aspiring to pursue long-term careers in China's tech sector, Ms. Dong Hua offered three key pieces of advice: root yourself in the local community, embrace change, and create value together .

First of all, China has been leading the technological development of industries in many fields and advocating innovation. Only by taking deep roots and understanding cutting-edge technologies, industrial policies and market demands can we find development space in the rapid changes.

Secondly, we must actively embrace change, continue to learn and update ourselves. The speed of technological updates is extremely fast. From smart manufacturing, new energy, to AI, they are all brand new tracks. Avnet China is at the forefront of technological and industry development. Our localized sinking strategy allows us to keenly grasp market trends. As a company driven by technology, we need to master our product performance and applications faster and better, and empower our customers with services. Avnet employees receive product training for popular markets and solutions every week. China has already copied the initial model to the current functions, applications, and product innovations. In such a hotbed of technology, young people must constantly expand the boundaries of their capabilities, seize learning opportunities, and build their own technological core. As we often say: "You can't control the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails."

Finally, we must strive to become "value co-creators". Without the team, individuals cannot go far. Within an organization, we must not only complete tasks ourselves, but also collaborate in the team, think proactively, and make contributions. Taking Avnet as a value provider as an example, we always regard our customers' goals as our own responsibility and technological breakthroughs as value creation.

Ms. Dong Hua believes this is an era for young people who are innovative, responsible, and possess a global vision. By adhering to long-term principles, maintaining a constant learning drive, and a resilient spirit, every young person in the future can write a brilliant chapter in the thriving land of China's technology industry.