Blackmores Asia MD appointed first international member of China Association for Quality Inspection

20-Jun-2017 - Last updated on 23-Jun-2017 at 01:43 GMT

Blackmores' presence in China continues to grow, thanks to two recent key appointments.

Blackmores’ standing in China has received a boost after its Asia MD, Peter Osborne, was appointed vice chairman of the China Association for Quality Inspection’s (CAQI) advisory committee.

This makes Osborne the first foreigner within the non-profit product quality inspection organisation. Prior to joining CAQI, Osborne held managerial positions at the Australian Trade Commission and Blackmores in Asia.

At the same time, Blackmores itself now occupies a key leadership advisory role in CAQI as its vice president company. Both Blackmores and Osborne were appointed for a five-year term.

Blackmores CEO Christine Holgate said she believed the appointments “reflect the respect that China has for Australia’s stringent regulatory systems, and their confidence in the quality of goods manufactured in Australia”.

She added: “China is a hugely important part of Blackmores’ global business, as it is for many Australian companies. In my view, this appointment reflects the importance of Australia as a trading partner with China, and will assist in developing stronger cooperation between our two great nations.”

Leadership team

Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA) CEO Carl Gibson concurred, seeing the “appointment as an endorsement for Blackmores and for the…reputation of Australian complementary medicines."

At the same time, Blackmores has seen the addition of a new senior member to its Asian leadership team. Jeff Zhang has been appointed the China general manager for the company, for whom growth in the country is a “core strategic focus”, according to Holgate.

Previously, Zhang led several global brands in China, with his most recent position at Murray Goulburn placing him behind strategies for offline and cross-border e-commerce for Australian dairy products in China.

The Chinese demand for health products is projected to increase considerably over the next 10 years, due mainly to China’s expanding middle class and aging population. The Chinese health foods market alone — which includes vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts and TCM — is presently worth US$30 billion and is expected to see annual growth of 10% until 2025.