Hu Zhiqin from Singapore is not tall, but she is petite and charming. Despite her small stature, she holds the title of Senior Vice President of Market Sales at NetEase. Hu Zhiqin has a strong background in media sales and advertising. Her cheerful demeanor helped NetEase through its toughest times, bringing brightness and success, and then further enhancing the brand's influence by "uniting people's strength."
Before joining NetEase, Hu Zhiqin served as the Greater China Sales Senior Vice President at AdSociety in Hong Kong and General Manager of 24/7 Asia Media in Hong Kong. She was responsible for the overall operation of Hong Kong’s interactive advertising network. Even before the peak of the internet boom, Hu Zhiqin had held senior management positions at STAR TV.
In 2001, NetEase faced the crisis of being suspended from trading on NASDAQ. At that time, Sun Dedie, who was acting as CEO, approached Hu Zhiqin and strongly invited her to join NetEase.
"At that time, the entire management team of NetEase needed replacement. Sun Dedie communicated with me, and I felt he was a very trustworthy person," Hu Zhiqin said. Like most women, she placed great importance on "feelings." "Ding Lei is different from other gold-diggers in the internet industry; he is very down-to-earth, and every decision he makes is carefully considered."
● Eight Years of Internet Ups and Downs
Reflecting on the years since she joined NetEase, Hu Zhiqin feels a lot of emotions. In January 2002, Hu Zhiqin became the Senior Vice President of Market Sales at NetEase, leading both the market and sales departments.
Although Hu Zhiqin has deep experience in media sales and advertising, the immense challenges brought by NetEase were still towering like continuous mountains. At that time, the development status of the internet was unimaginably full of bubbles.
The stock price of an internet company wasn't determined by its operational efficiency, but rather by its fame and agreements signed with large companies. Therefore, some websites continuously sought strategic partners, not for business purposes, but purely for hype. Some .Com companies required their public relations department to provide a press release every week so that the boss could publish it in New York media to influence the company's value on NASDAQ.
"This abnormal business model continued until the bursting of the internet bubble," Hu Zhiqin said.
However, at NetEase, Hu Zhiqin felt a bit different amidst the bubble. She believed that "Ding Lei is someone who gets things done. He speaks with determination and acts accordingly, and this remains true even now. In 2004..."