On March 17, UMS Founder and Chairman Jessica Miao was invited by the New Zealand Business Roundtable in China (NZBRiC) to speak at the NZBRiC Breakfast Briefing: Navigating Towards Success in 2026 in Shanghai.
Bringing together leaders from across the New Zealand–China business community, the briefing created space for a timely and practical discussion around a key question: how should New Zealand brands and businesses navigate China in the year ahead?
A timely discussion on China’s next phase
The event brought together business leaders from the meat industry, dairy, and professional services, offering practical perspectives from across industries. The New Zealand Ambassador Dr. Jonathan Austin delivered the opening remarks. Across the discussions, several themes stood out clearly.
New Zealand Ambassador Dr. Jonathan Austin
At the macro level, speakers reflected on the ongoing importance of the New Zealand–China relationship, while also acknowledging a more complex operating environment shaped by geopolitics, shifting economic priorities, and changing patterns of growth.
China’s next development cycle — including the policy direction signalled by the 15th Five-Year Plan period — formed an important backdrop to the conversation. Technology, services, and higher-quality growth all emerged as key areas to watch as businesses look ahead to 2026 and beyond.
AI was also part of the discussion, not simply as a trend, but as a practical force increasingly influencing how businesses think about efficiency, communication, decision-making, and competitiveness.
Practical perspectives from across industries
The panel session brought a more grounded business lens to the conversation, with speakers sharing views from sectors including agribusiness, foodservice, recruitment, and marketing.
From left:Vice President at CGP Group KOUROSH ASHGAR
Global Director of Food Service & President of China Synlait ABBY YE
Sales Manager at Silver Fern Farms JAMES ZHANG
Chairman & Founder at UMS JESSICA MIAO
President of Tatua China & Chair of NZBRiC DANIEL YOUNG
While each speaker approached the topic from a different industry angle, a common message ran through the discussion: China remains a significant market, but success is becoming more targeted, more nuanced, and more dependent on execution quality.
For brands operating in China today, broad visibility alone is no longer enough. Long-term relevance, local understanding, and market responsiveness are becoming increasingly important — especially for New Zealand brands positioned around trust, quality, premium value, provenance, and service experience.
Jessica Miao on digital marketing in China
Representing UMS, Jessica shared a digital marketing perspective grounded in local market realities.
Her remarks highlighted several key considerations for New Zealand brands in China today: the shift in consumer thinking from “best deal” to “best for me,” the importance of building lower-tier market strategy into the core China plan, and the need to approach digital marketing not as a series of isolated tactics, but as a connected channels system.
She also pointed to the importance of combining platform content, owned social media channels, social listening, social commerce, and influence strategy in a more integrated way — with each part playing a role in building relevance, trust, and conversion over time.
Her core message was simple and clear: China is a long-term game for prepared marketers.
Looking ahead
For UMS, the briefing was a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives with leaders across the New Zealand–China business community and contribute a China-local view to a broader strategic conversation.
As China continues to evolve, so do the questions brands need to ask — about consumer priorities, regional market dynamics, digital behaviour, and long-term positioning. These are also the conversations UMS will continue to engage with through our work with international brands navigating China’s fast-changing market environment.
