---
title: "'Abolishing the elder, installing the younger' comes to an end: Shuanghui's Wan Long resigns as CEO"
description: "The power struggle within the billion-dollar Shuanghui empire has concluded with the 'abolition of the elder in favor of the younger'. Wan Long has stepped down as CEO of WH Group, with Guo Lijun succeeding him, while his second son Wan Hongwei has been appointed as vice chairman, leaving his eldest son Wan Hongjian completely sidelined."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2021-08-13"
language: "en"
canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/abolishing-the-elder-installing-the-younger-comes-to-an-end-shuanghui-s-f23df8bb/"
markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/abolishing-the-elder-installing-the-younger-comes-to-an-end-shuanghui-s-f23df8bb.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YwS12xhyBFVlOPg0XXKOFA"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E5%BA%9F%E9%95%BF%E7%AB%8B%E5%B9%BC-%E5%89%A7%E7%BB%88-%E5%8F%8C%E6%B1%87%E4%B8%87%E9%9A%86%E8%BE%9E%E4%BB%BB%E6%80%BB%E8%A3%81-f23df8bb.md"
attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/abolishing-the-elder-installing-the-younger-comes-to-an-end-shuanghui-s-f23df8bb/"
usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt"
---

# 'Abolishing the elder, installing the younger' comes to an end: Shuanghui's Wan Long resigns as CEO

> The power struggle within the billion-dollar Shuanghui empire has concluded with the 'abolition of the elder in favor of the younger'. Wan Long has stepped down as CEO of WH Group, with Guo Lijun succeeding him, while his second son Wan Hongwei has been appointed as vice chairman, leaving his eldest son Wan Hongjian completely sidelined.

**Click to read the original article for details**
Source: Retail Circle
(ID: retailsphere)
The "palace intrigue" drama of the billion-dollar Shuanghui empire: "Abolishing the elder, installing the younger" has come to an end!
The younger brother ascends to vice chairman, while the elder brother plans to sell pig head meat!
**Plot recap:**
Two months ago, WH Group, a leading pork food company, issued a removal announcement: Wan Hongjian, 52, who was seen as the successor and eldest son of WH Group's chairman, was unexpectedly "dethroned".
One month ago, Wan Hongjian revealed the details of his removal: due to a conflict with his father over the CEO selection, he hit his head against a glass wall cabinet, and with blood on his head, was pinned down by bodyguards...
On the evening of August 12, WH Group announced that Wan Long had resigned as CEO. However, the successor was still not the eldest son Wan Hongjian, but executive director Guo Lijun. In addition, the second son Wan Hongwei was appointed as executive director and vice chairman of the board.
**This may mean that Wan Hongjian is completely out of the picture.**
**The old general steps down as CEO, CFO takes over**
On the evening of August 12, WH Group issued a series of announcements regarding changes to the new management team, showing that Wan Long had resigned as CEO while retaining his positions as executive director, chairman of the board, chairman of the nomination committee, chairman of the food safety committee, and chairman of the risk management committee.
After Wan Long's resignation, executive director Guo Lijun was appointed as CEO to succeed him. Meanwhile, Wan Hongwei was appointed as executive director and vice chairman of the board, and also as a member of the company's environmental, social, and governance committee and food safety committee.
Guo Lijun previously served as executive director of WH Group, executive vice president and CFO of WH Group, and had held positions including financial director of Shuanghui Group and executive vice president of Shuanghui Development. Wan Hongwei, the second son of Wan Long, previously served as assistant to the chairman of WH Group and vice chairman of Shuanghui Development.
Additionally, the announcement disclosed other significant adjustments to WH Group's executive team.
Guo Lijun resigned as CFO, and Zhen Jinyan was appointed as CFO to succeed him. At the same time, Zhen Jinyan was appointed as vice president responsible for financial management, Zhou Feng as vice president responsible for international trade, and Wang Dengfeng as vice president responsible for operations management, all effective from August 12, 2021.
**This marks the beginning of the generational transition at WH Group.**
According to Securities Times, at the subsequent interim results press conference, Wan Long responded for the first time to external hot topics. "This is a normal work adjustment," Wan Long said. "I think it is appropriate for Guo Lijun to serve as CEO of WH Group. He has worked in the company for one or two decades, with outstanding performance and a sense of responsibility; he is a qualified manager."
He also expressed affirmation for his second son Wan Hongwei. "It is also appropriate for Wan Hongwei to serve as vice chairman of WH Group's board. He has overseas study experience and has worked in the company for many years."
It is worth noting that this management change announcement **made no mention at all of the eldest son Wan Hongjian, who was removed two months ago**.
**Abolishing the elder, installing the younger: the second son becomes vice chairman**
Public information shows that Wan Long is 80 years old and has over 50 years of experience in the meat processing industry. He joined the Luohe Meat Processing Plant in Henan Province in May 1968, became the general manager of the plant in 1984, has served as chairman of WH Group since November 26, 2010, and also serves as a director of several subsidiaries of the group. He was appointed as an executive director on December 31, 2013, and has served as CEO since October 2013.
**Two months ago, a removal announcement by WH Group instantly turned Wan Hongjian, who was seen as the successor, into a "dethroned prince".**
Wan Hongjian, the eldest son of Wan Long, chairman and CEO of WH Group, is 52 years old. He has held various positions, including worker in the cooked food workshop of Luohe Meat Processing Plant in Henan Province, sales director of the Beijing office of Shuanghui Group's sales department, deputy director of the foreign trade division of Shuanghui Group, deputy general manager of Rotex responsible for international trade business, and director of the international trade department of WH Group.
On June 17, WH Group (Hong Kong-listed) announced the removal of Wan Hongjian from his director position and the termination of his services as executive director and vice president according to his service agreement and employment contract, effective immediately, mainly because "Mr. Wan recently made inappropriate attacks on the company's property, leading the company to believe that he is unable to perform his duties with the talent, prudence, and diligence required of a director."
Subsequently, Wan Hongjian stated that the conflict with his father was over the CEO selection.
According to The Beijing News, on July 16, Wan Hongjian spoke out and recounted the incident to @The Beijing News.
"Around 10 a.m. on June 3, 2021, despite having been removed as vice chairman of WH Group, I walked into Wan Long's office and said, 'Dad, I want to discuss two things with you,'" Wan Hongjian said. "The first thing I told him was that I planned to go to the mainland and the United States for a period, and would be away from Hong Kong for a longer time. The second thing was that I heard you are about to propose a CEO, and I wanted to talk to you privately first to share my views."
Regarding the first matter, Wan Hongjian said Wan Long replied, "Do as you please." However, the CEO topic sparked a conflict between them.
"Regarding the second matter, Wan Long replied, 'Who told you I am going to propose a CEO? I haven't told anyone. Who told you?'" Wan Hongjian said he mainly wanted to discuss the CEO candidate issue.
"I realized that if I didn't leave immediately, a conflict might erupt, so I paused for a few seconds, spread my hands, and told him, 'If you talk like that, then we have nothing to say,' and turned to walk out of his inner office," Wan Hongjian recalled. At that time, Wan Long's secretary asked him to leave, "I was completely broken down. I shouted loudly 'Get out!', punched the door against the wall, and hit my head against the glass wall cabinet to vent my frustration."
Additionally, according to Yicai, Wan Hongjian posted on his social media that on June 3, 2021, he discussed a senior management appointment issue in Wan Long's office, offered his personal suggestion, which conflicted with Wan Long's opinion, and was reprimanded by Wan Long. Wan Hongjian, in an emotional state, punched the door against the wall and hit his head against the glass wall cabinet to vent his frustration.
Subsequently, Wan Hongjian was pinned to the ground by bodyguards and others, with blood on his head, and Wan Long requested photos as evidence. This was followed by the announcement of the "dethronement of the prince".
After being removed, Wan Hongjian frequently gave media interviews, denouncing Wan Long's "four crimes": the acquisition of Smithfield Foods by Shuanghui International; the unrealistic targets in some key indicators of WH Group's 14th Five-Year Plan; the new product development direction of Shuanghui Group; and WH Group's operational focus should not favor the US over China.
**Congratulations to the younger brother for taking over; the elder brother plans to sell pig head meat**
According to information, WH Group is the world's largest pork food company, ranking first in major markets in China, the United States, and Europe.
It was formerly Shuanghui, founded by Wan Long. In 2013, after acquiring Smithfield in the US, Shuanghui was listed in Hong Kong and became today's WH Group.
Among them, A-share listed Shuanghui Development is also the largest meat processing enterprise in China.
However, from the financial reports, Shuanghui Development's meat products business has grown steadily, while the slaughtering business has been a slight drag, but overall performance remains stable.
WH Group (00288) announced that for the six months ended June 30, **first-half revenue was $13.33 billion, up 6.8% year-on-year; first-half net profit was $652 million, compared to $317 million in the same period last year; interim dividend per share was HK$0.05, same as last year**.
At the same time, Shuanghui Development (000895) released its interim report: in the first half of 2021, total operating revenue was 34.91 billion yuan, down 4.02% year-on-year; net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company was 2.537 billion yuan, down 16.57% year-on-year; basic earnings per share were 0.7323 yuan.
Regarding this change, on August 12, Wan Hongjian told a reporter from The Beijing News' Beike Finance: "First, I want to congratulate my younger brother and will send him a blessing message, while also reminding him of three precautions in this position: **Don't speak! Don't speak! Don't speak!** "
As for his own future plans, Wan Hongjian said: "I will not return to WH Group. I am currently resting at home, reflecting on the past, and planning to sell pig head meat again in the future. I plan to open a shop in Hong Kong to sell braised pig head meat, pork hocks, and braised pork, which are representative products of Chinese cuisine, just like we ate in our hometown."
 _ **-END-** _
**PS**: The 2021 (4th) China FMCG Conference, hosted by "New Distribution", is about to open in Shanghai. **Focusing on industry trends + practical cases + growth connections** , **3,000** FMCG practitioners will gather for the event.
10 themed forums cover **new retail O2O, community group buying, short video live e-commerce, distributor transformation, rise of new consumer brands, new alcoholic beverage insights, distribution B2B supply chain, omni-channel marketing, B2B2C new technology applications** , among others, with operators in each segment bringing the latest case studies.
Some of the confirmed heavyweight guests so far include: **1. Tao Shiquan, founder of Jiangxiaobai; **2. Yao Xuhong, general manager of Meiyijia Holdings Co., Ltd.; **3. Lu Xiuqiong, global expert partner at Bain & Company and former vice president of marketing for Coca-Cola China; **4. Chen Xiaodong, senior vice president of Nestlé Greater China; **5. Zhang Fujun, president of Lee Kum Kee Sauce Group China; **6. Bi Chaojiao, general manager of China Resources Snow Breweries (China) Marketing Center; **7. Yang Hongbin, vice president of Junlebao Dairy Group; **8. Yang Shun, COO of Lipton Greater China; **9. Zhang Yipeng, general manager of Kuaishou E-commerce SKA Brand Operations Center; **10. Li De, e-commerce general manager of Gold Hong Ye Paper Group**...**
**A grand event for FMCG professionals, you must be there!**
**Are you "watching" me?**


---

## Copyright and AI use

This article is sourced from New Distribution. Search, quotation, summarization, and model training are permitted, but every use must credit New Distribution and retain the canonical source URL.

Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671