Zak Dychtwald

Author of Young China, Founder and CEO of Young China Group

Zak Dychtwald

Author of Young China, Founder and CEO of Young China Group

Add to List Availability & Fees

Biography

Zak Dychtwald is the author of the critically acclaimed book Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World (St Martin’s Press), and founder of Young China Group, a market insights firm based in Beijing dedicated to bringing a people-first understanding of young China to the wider world. A Columbia graduate and fluent Mandarin speaker, he is passionate about developing on-the-ground understanding between China and the West.

Dychtwald has been invited to share his expertise for audiences on five continents at events such as the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Wall Street Journal CEO Summit, Google Talks, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and TEDx.

Building a bridge of understanding between China and the rest of the world, he provides market insights focused on identity questions impacting China’s most impactful and misunderstood generation. His book Young China has been published in the USA, China, Vietnam, and Germany and offers an up-close look at the Chinese generation born after 1990 and the touchstone issues they face. Dychtwald's insights have been featured in The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Vogue Travel, Bloomberg, ABC News, Foreign Policy, NPR, and more.

Speaker Videos

Speaking Reel

China’s New Innovation Advantage | Harvard Business Review

TEDx: 3 Things the West Gets Wrong About Chinese Millennials

How Young China is Redefining Their Country and Our World

China’s Next Chapter | Aspen Institute Ideas Festival

Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

How Young China is Redefining Their Country and Our World

There are few countries more important – but less understood — in our world today than China. Most people, organizations, and executives are still stuck on ‘old China’, while China’s youth is driving a massive economic engine that is already leading global growth in a post-Covid world. Their perspectives towards family, work, wealth, brands, family, their government, and our government are vastly different than past generations, and will shape the decades to come.

As a consumer, competitor, and collaborator, Young China is already redefining their country and the world. You and your organization must understand how.

Audiences will learn:

How Young China sees us? What are their attitudes towards democracy and their own government?
How China’s 700 million under 40 are similar and different to their global cohort, and why China has “generation gulfs.”
What is worth it in China today? Which themes and brands are thriving amongst the biggest consumer class in the world?
How this generation is beginning to drive global innovation, shirking the global copycat stereotype?

China’s Innovation Advantage

“Can China be innovative” is one of the defining questions of the 21st century.

While China’s reputation as a global “copycat” lingers, China is beginning to lead the rest of the world in mobile technology, e-commerce, and future-forward thinking. In fact, some of the smartest and most forward-leaning Western companies have already begun copying China.

Based on his upcoming Harvard Business Review Magazine feature article, Zak takes you to the trenches of the country’s tech and investment scene to look at how China is becoming a world class innovator, and how their greatest “innovation advantage” is a uniquely adaptive and adoptive population.

This dynamic and eye-opening session will:

Explore China’s “Innovation Advantage” and the psychology of its hyper adaptive and adoptive population.
Illustrate how Chinese businesses and entrepreneurs are competing at a world-class level, and which Western businesses are already “copying the copycat.”
Examine what there is to learn from competition with Chinese innovators, and where.
Western organizations still hold a major competitive advantage of their own.

Young China in a Post-Covid World

In 2021 the world is looking towards China for growth. With much of the world half shuttered, China’s open shops and businesses mean that the Young China consumer will be an engine of the global Covid-19 recovery. Even “non-China” companies are increasingly China reliant: from Microsoft to Airbnb, Apple to Nike.

How has China rebounded from the COVID crisis? Which themes were accelerated, and which disrupted? How will this impact global business and politics?

This insightful, Data-Driven Session will:

Dive deep into consumer sentiment of post-Covid19 China. What is seen as “worth it”?
How resilient are consumers?
Explore the path forward laid out by the government and private organizations to protect business growth and trade partners.

Testimonials

"Dychtwald builds an intimate profile of Chinese millennials...and how, ultimately, they are changing China and the world…engaging read for anyone looking for an introduction to contemporary Chinese culture and society."

- Director for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations

“Zak gave one of the best talks in the history of our investment group. His presentation changed the way many in our group approach China.”

- Co-Chair, Investment & Life Planning Group

“Zakary Dychtwald is an extraordinarily gifted communicator of ideas. His passion to understand China together with his deep research to uncover the country’s 400 million millennials – their aspirations, fears, interests, habits, and choices - helps inform audiences of the opportunities brought about by this demographical cohort. For people wanting to understand the dynamics shaping the world’s future, they should speak with Zak.“

- Global Content Director, CLSA Limited, A Citic Bank Co.

“Zak Dychtwald is an incredible speaker. He has the charisma, charm and people’s skills to catch the audience’s attention and captivate them. Zak brings talent, insight, and positivity, and we cannot think of anyone better than him to take the stage.”

- Head of Talent, The World Youth Forum, Egypt

“Brilliant…I’m glad I didn’t have to follow him!”

- Global CEO, Schroders

“Business leaders who are concerned about the future of China should engage Zak Dychtwald... Zak’s presentation draws the audience in and makes a difficult topic approachable and understandable. My colleagues have been discussing his fascinating presentation for weeks and weeks.”

- Former President of The New York 92Y

“Extremely impressive! Young China is set to change the way much of our world operates and Zak is the perfect communicator. Zak’s bold and new perspectives dazzled and challenged a room of pre-eminent policy experts at Beirut Institute Summit at Abu Dhabi. I would absolutely recommend Zak as a need-to-hear keynote speaker for those interested in the future.”

- Founder and Executive Chairman of Beirut Institute

“Zak is a hoot, and worked well with both the large general audience and the more intimate business audience…He infused a good mix of information, humor and flow for both presentations. I have already gotten some effusive praise for him.”

- Assistant Director, Global Perspectives Office, University of Central Florida