Marjorie Yang Mun-tak GBS (; born 1952) is Chairwoman of Esquel Group, a Hong Kong–based textile and apparel manufacturer with operations throughout the world, producing over 110 million cotton shirts every year for well-acclaimed brands and retailers such as

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( ; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger (company), Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's P ...

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG (stylized in all caps) is a designer fashion company headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, Fashion accessory, accessories, footwear, and Leather, leather goods. Hugo Boss is one of the ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

, and

Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...

Career

Yang is of Wu County, Jiangsu descent. She is the eldest daughter of , founder of the Hong Kong textile company Esquel Group. She has served as its chairwoman since 1995. From 2008 to 2014, Yang oversaw a rapid expansion of the family business she inherited, more than doubling its revenue to US$1.4 billion. In China, Yang has been a Member of the National Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

since 2003. In Hong Kong, she is Chairman of the Hong Kong-United States Business Council, Chairperson of the Government's Advisory Committee on Admission of Quality Migrants and Professionals as well as a member of the Government's Commission on Strategic Development. In addition, Marjorie serves as Deputy Chairman of the Seoul International Business Advisory Council. Yang is also on the boards of The

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

and

Swire Pacific Swire Group ( zh, t=太古集團) is a highly diversified global conglomerate with its parent company being John Swire & Sons Limited that holds controlling stakes in a range of businesses trading in the UK, USA, Australia, Papua New Guinea, ...

as Independent non-executive director. In addition, she is a Member of

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

Asia Advisory Board. In 2017, Yang financially backed former finance minister and colleague John Tsang for the position of

Chief Executive of Hong Kong The chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of Governor of ...

, though he eventually lost to Carrie Lam. Yang is a Member of the various advisory boards at: * MIT Corporation * Chairman of the Council of the

Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU or HKPU) is a public research university in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded in 1937 a ...

* Member of the Board of Governors at the Asia School of Business *

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

MIT Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (branded as MIT Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree progra ...

Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management The Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management is the business school of Tsinghua University in Haidian, Beijing, China. It offers undergraduate, master, doctoral, and executive education programs. Academics Rankings In 2021, S ...

China Europe International Business School China Europe International Business School (CEIBS ( ) ) is a business school headquartered in Pudong, Shanghai, China. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Accra in Ghana, and Zurich in Switzerland. Established under an agreement ...

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) is a public university in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 98 ...

Antai College of Economics & Management * Honorary Trustee at Lingnan College of Sun Yat-sen University * Honorary Member of the Court of the

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, it was the territory's third institution to be granted university status, and the firs ...

Education

Yang holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

and an MBA from

Personal life

From her marriage to businessman

Dickson Poon Sir Dickson Poon (; born 19 June 1956) is a Hong Kong business magnate in the luxury goods retailing sector. Poon is the executive chairman of his Hong Kong–based and listed company Dickson Concepts (DCIL), which owns companies including H ...

, Yang has one child, Dee Poon. Yang brought her daughter into the Esquel Group in 2009 as chief brand officer of PYE, and Dee Poon has since become

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Esquel brands and distribution.

Philanthropy and environmental conservation

Her Esquel-Y.L. Yang Education Foundation has been funding the building or renovation of more than 20 schools. The Esquel Group has provided microfinance to 300 rural households in China's unrest-ridden

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

region, where the privately held company has cotton farming, ginning and spinning operations. The Foundation is geared mostly towards improving the standards of teaching, encouraging education and learning, and enhancing health and public hygiene for Uyghur minority students in areas outside the regional capital, Ürümqi. The foundation has been doing work in vision screening amongst rural children in China, and has also done work in Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Long an advocate for environmental conservation and sustainable production, Marjorie also chairs the Shan Shui Conservation Center and holds membership in the Advisory Council of

Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States–based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicag ...

(NRDC) in China. In 2018, Yang announced the launch of 'Integral', an initiative aimed to encourage business leaders and academics to develop a balanced and less environment-damaging growth model for China.

Recent honours and awards

* Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by ''Fortune'' Magazine (2000, 2004, 2005 and 2009) * The Bronze Beaver Award by

(MIT) Alumni Association (2011) * 48 Heroes of Philanthropy (2012) * Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' (2012) * Diamond Award by Hong Kong Tatler (2013) *

Gold Bauhinia Star The Gold Bauhinia Star (, GBS) is the highest rank in Order of the Bauhinia Star, under the Order (distinction), honours system of Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system after the Handover of Hong Kong, transfer of sovere ...

(GBS) by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (2013)2013 Honours List
''Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government'', July 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Marjorie 1952 births Harvard Business School alumni Hong Kong chief executives Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference HSBC people Living people Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Swire Group Hong Kong philanthropists The Baldwin School alumni Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2017–2021 Hong Kong billionaires Female billionaires Hong Kong textiles industry businesspeople