Mondelēz China CMO and eCommerce director depart following investigation

Mondelēz China’s chief marketing and growth officer Grace Zhu and eCommerce director Simon Xiu have left the company following an investigation into an eCommerce misconduct, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands. 

In an internal memo seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, both Zhu and Xiu’s exits were effective from 22 August. Their replacements will be subject to future announcements.  

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson from Mondelēz China said the company 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.” 

However, the spokesperson did not specify the details of the two people who departed, including their names.  

This comes following local reports emerging around the executives associated with an ongoing eCommerce investigation. Multiple Chinese media reports, including Nanduwan Finance, Finance China, and Jiemian News, had named Zhu and Xiu as the executives involved at the time.  

Zhu joined Mondelēz China as VP of sales in 2019 and was promoted to chief marketing and growth officer in 2021. Before that, she was the eCommerce and nutrition category general manager of Pepsico China. 

The probe into Mondelēz China executives is the latest in a series of corruption-related incidents in China's business landscape. Back in June, Adidas let go of two employees as a result of an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption in China. 

Adidas told CNN that it was looking into "compliance violations" in China, a key market for its sportswear, after the company’s executives in China were accused of seizing millions of euros and taking huge kickbacks.  

“While Adidas is investigating this matter together with independent external advisers, evidence has been found that in the interaction with local vendors, one employee violated the company’s code of conduct,” Claudia Lange, head of media relations at the apparel giant, told CNN. 

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