Bessie Lee

Bessie Lee is recognized as one of the most experienced and highly respected CEO in the media industry in China. She has worked in the media communications industry for 21 years within the WPP Group.

Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of GroupM China and is responsible for the strategic development, operations and continued growth of GroupM and its media agencies in China. Since her appointment in 2005, the group's media billings have tripled. GroupM is the number one media holding group in China in terms of billings for the last four consecutive years since 2007.

Under her watch, the group's digital and integrated media communication capabilities have expanded considerably and GroupM is now the digital market leader in China in terms of billings. She previously worked at JWT Taiwan, Mindshare Taiwan and Mindshare Shanghai. Prior to joining GroupM, she was CEO of Mindshare China.

Lee has an excellent reputation in developing trusted advisor relationships with clients, and in molding talent into high performance and winning teams. Her senior management team at GroupM is widely considered as one of the most stable and professional teams in the industry in China.

Bessie has received numerous media awards in China for her contributions to the industry including Media Person of the Year by the Communication University of China (2010), Media Person with Major Contribution to the Industry by China Advertising magazine (2010), China's top 10 most creative media professionals by the China Economic Newspaper Association (2007) and China's top business women leaders by the All-China Women's Federation (2006).

A member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Women's Empowerment 2010, Lee is an active participant and moderator at the Davos meetings. She graduated with a Master's degree in communications at the Illinois State University, USA.

Lee is based in Shanghai.