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John McLean OBE
Chair, China UK Business Development Centre; Chair, Institute of Directors City of London

John McLean OBE

John's journey in China started in 1999, where he established a manufacturing and retail business in Shanghai and has since played a key role in promoting UK-China trade and investment, fostering people-to-people exchanges and strengthening bilateral relations.

A Chartered Accountant by profession, John began his career with PwC (Coopers & Lybrand) in London and New York and afterwards serving as CFO for a listed City Investment Trust. He later led a management buyout of a UK logistics business and has since held leadership roles as CEO, Chair and Non-Executive Director across multiple listed and private companies. Specialising in hands-on business transformation and growth, his expertise spans operations, acquisitions, and international management across China, US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Thailand, and Australasia.

John has been deeply engaged in UK-China business relations. In 2011, he joined the board of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) as a Non-Executive Director. In 2016, he chaired a report on corporate governance between the UK and China and in both 2019 and 2025, he led the City of London’s business delegations to China. In 2020, he co-founded the China-UK Business Development Centre (CUKBDC) to expand business opportunities between the two nations, focusing on regional Chinese provinces, entrepreneurial ventures, and SMEs. CUKBDC has an active presence in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Xi’an, Qingdao, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou.

He currently serves as Senior Advisor to the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK) and is Chair of the Institute of Directors for the City of London. He is also a member of the FTSE Women Leaders Advisory Board and sits on the Advisory Boards of both the Oxford China Forum and the Cambridge China Business Forum.

Beyond his business commitments, John has made a significant impact in philanthropy. He was Chair of Carers Trust for six years until May 2024 and since 2017 has served on the Lord Mayor’s Appeal Fundraising Board for the City of London, where he chairs (inter alia) the UK-China Charity Initiative. He previously sat on the VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) Council and chaired VSO China for 6 years.

In recognition of his contributions to British business and civil society development in China, John was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours list.