Syngenta Huddersfield Journey into Chinese Culture

When Syngenta became part of the Chemchina family in 2017, the Huddersfield Site sought out ways in which they could appreciate and understand Chinese culture better, with the aim of being equipped for supporting the global business. Through local relationships with the University of Huddersfield, the site invited Dr Qing Shan Ding to talk to Syngenta staff about Chinese culture.

From China, Dr Ding is a Senior lecture in Marketing at the University of Huddersfield with expertise in Country of Origin; Consumer Ethnocentrism; Consumer Animosity; Market Entry Strategies; Consumer Perception and Brands in Emerging Economies. He came to the UK in 2002.

Dr Ding gave an insightful lecture to staff on topics such as Education, Family, Social Relationships and Business Etiquette in China, amongst other subjects. He gave his view of where Chinese culture may differ from British culture in areas such as Religion, Law and Governance but concluded that actually, there is far more in common between the two cultures than we think - with good humour, reciprocity and strategic thinking all very similar.

Carl Sykes of Syngenta said “In person, Qing is quite modest about his knowledge of China, however I learned that it is most likely down to the Chinese culture, because he gave a terrific account of what life is like and the customs of the people of China. For Qing to share that knowledge with us was of real benefit, helping Syngenta at Huddersfield play its part for Chemchina with a much greater understanding.”

Dr Qing Ding can be contacted via email address Q.S.Ding@hud.ac.uk