The Rein Man
May 16th, 2008
Nope. Not Shawn Kemp, the NBA player with loads of talent but not much production (that’s being kind).
This “reign man” is Shaun Rein, an up and comer in the US and China business circles. Check out this recent 6 minute video interview of Mr. Rein by Christine Liu of the Chinese Business Network. I have read some of his work, reports and seen other interviews and blog discussions about him. This is a smart business dude - also served as a teaching fellow at Harvard; did his undergrad work at McGill University in Montreal (good school; sorry OCOB MBA ethics team, not trying to put salt in the wound by saying the word “McGill” as in my view you got the short end of the stick that favored McGill on the time clock thing at your recent competition — chalk it up to a real world experience and an advance start for the “life ain’t fair” vicissitudes).
Continue to monitor Mr. Rein (a real reign man) and his career. He is young and I predict he is going to make it really, really, really big.
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, Shanghai, China
8 Comments Add your own
1. Dan Harris | May 18th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I bet I am the only person in the world who has socialized with both Shaun Rein AND Shawn Kemp. I visit with Shaun Rein when in Shanghai (though last time we met up in Beijing) and my old law firm used to represent Shawn Kemp and I even attended his birthday party on a big ship (which got shot at by someone on shore who was really really pissed about not being allowed on). On top of that, I have a client who sold his mansion (with something like a 50 car garage) to Shawn Kemp.
I had no idea the two of them would ever make it into the same post. Small world.
2. Chris Carr | May 18th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Thanks for the check in, Dan.
Dan Harris in Shawn Kemp’s “posse”. Now that is something I would have paid some bucks to see.
3. Jesse Bilsten | May 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
What an amazing person. Sounds like he’s been very fortunate to get in on the Chinese market when he did and then to have a company focused on exactly what every incoming foreign company will need in order to compete against other companies.
4. Ashley Drum | May 27th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
What a well spoken businessman. I thought the things Mr. Rein said about the changing perception of Americans with regards to China over the last few years are very true. It is interesting to think that only a few years ago people thought China was a poor, underdeveloped country and now it is a major force in our economy. It is not surprising how western media has aided in skewing our perceptions of China. These conflicting views only make me more excited to experience China firsthand. I agree with Dr. Carr in that we will be seeing a lot more about Mr. Rein’s success. His advanced knowledge of both China and the United States is going to make him a major player in the international business market.
5. Steve Munio | May 29th, 2008 at 8:07 am
He is definitely going to make it really big. Ever since I started learning more about China, I’ve recognized the value of starting a business similar to his. Many companies are already taking advantage of the opportunities there, but not all have the resources (contacts, experience, etc) to successfully venture into China. Offering a service that acts as “middleman” between US companies and Chinese businesses to initiate and facilitate relationships would relieve apprehensions and be a big hit. I would love to start that business, however I don’t speak Chinese, don’t know any Chinese people, and have no notable business experience in even the US. Maybe I can use Rein’s consulting to get started on creating some competition for him?
6. Andria Greenlee | May 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
What an interesting guy. He has been lucky to have been in China and witness the massive growth that has taken place over the last decade. One point he brought up that struck me as particularly interesting was his criticism of Western media giants like the New York Times being to negative in terms of how it reports on the conditions in China. He seems to blame them for the general Western belief that China is poor and dirty and corrupt. I liked that he was standing up for the good things in China and encouraging outsiders to seriously consider their sources before making conclusions about China. This trip will be a wonderful opportunity to make our own conclusions about just how “good” or “bad” China really is.
7. Simeon Trieu | June 5th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Shawn Rein’s words are encouraging to foreigners who want to be on the ground in China. There are more needs for globalization and new perspectives. However, the managers need to start being more local. Great perspective.
One of other tidbit is that Shawn Rein has a background in Chinese studies, has been on the ground in China for a long time, and with those credentials, he recommends us to watch where we get our news from. I’m glad he mentioned the WSJ because I am also a fan and think they have great reporting by having people on the ground in China who want to be there. That being said, he also mentioned BLOGS, an underrated source of information. These are, as Mr. Rein mentioned, often by those who are living in China, who want to be there, and are not just out to throw around criticism. This is very important because even in our own country, there is still that seed of distrust and criticism that inhibits us from seeing who China really is. If we want to understand China, or any other country, we must stop “boycotting” what we don’t understand. We fear what we don’t know, and from Shawn Rein’s perspective, what we don’t know isn’t so bad.
8. Mark Fairman | June 12th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Shaun Rein definitely seems to be knowledgeable of China both from a business perspective, as well as from a social view. He understands the misconceptions, and has seen first hand the transition from viewing China as “evil” to seeing it as a land of opportunity. I agree with Simeon that his words are encouraging for foreigners thinking of doing business in China. I’m sure some see China as so nationalized that they do not want foreign business to come in; but Rein gave the comparison to the US and how we depend on the global economy for our success–so too does China depend on others for their success. I think Rein has created a great business opportunity, and it seems that he will be a major player in the upcoming years.
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