Shamus Qu to replace Grace Zhu as marketing lead for Mondelēz China

Mondelēz has appointed Shamus Qu, formerly the chief marketing officer of Nestlé Greater China, as its vice president of marketing and growth in China. Effective September 2, Qi will be based in Shanghai and will join the Greater China BU leadership team, according to an internal email obtained by Chinese media. The appointment has been confirmed by sources to Campaign and reported by Chinese outlets, including the marketing platform Morketing. 

Qu has a diverse marketing experience. Before joining Mondelēz, he served as CMO for Nestlé Greater China, based in Beijing, for nearly four years. He also held the CMO position at Midea Group, a Fortune 500 company based in Guangdong. He brings a wealth of experience, having worked across various geographies, including Atlanta, Shanghai, and Toronto, during his decade-long tenure at Coca-Cola. He has also held key roles at Unilever and P&G.

The appointment closely follows the departures of Grace Zhu, the former vice president, and Simon Xiu, director of ecommerce, following an internal investigation into alleged ecommerce misconduct. Campaign Asia-Pacific first reported on the matter—which began in late July—and has been closely tracking the fallout from the controversy.

When approached by Campaign on the exits, Mondelēz did not disclose specific details but emphasised on August 23 that "Mondelēz China adheres to the highest standards of compliance. To this end, Mondelēz China conducted an internal investigation and placed two colleagues on administrative leave pending an enquiry. Based on the findings, the two colleagues have left the organisation."

The departures also come amid growing scrutiny on corporate practices in China, following similar high-profile cases involving companies like Adidas and GroupM.

Campaign has reached out to Mondelēz for comment on the appointment.