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It started with porcelain, jade, firecrackers, and plastic flowers. For almost 70 years the Asian trading company Li & Fung served as the classic middleman between manufacturers in Asia and their Western customers. Today the group is one of the most important trading companies in the world, managing the entire supply chain for well-known clothing manufacturers – from the purchase of cotton thread to the transportation of jeans and t-shirts to retailers.

"We learned something very important from China," says William Fung, "the importance of central plannin ......Li & Fung after more than 100 years in business. And as William Fung says, "Our employees know they can count on us." It remains to be seen what direction the company will take when the current three-year plan expires at the end of this year. But if history is any guide, it seems certain that the entrepreneurial spirit the trading company fosters amongst its managers is sure to lead to big things.

— This profile first appeared in Egon Zehnder International's THE FOCUS