This product has already been purchased.
After nearly a decade in China, AustCham Shanghai CEO Simon Woods MAICD has developed a clear view of the skills Australian directors need to take on an overseas board role.
Simon Woods grew up on hobby farm out the back of Anglesea on Victoria’s surf coast. These days, he lives in the global financial powerhouse of Shanghai, where he is CEO and executive director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, a business council for Australians in eastern China.
The contrast between the two worlds isn’t lost on him. So what actually drew him to China?
“I always liked the idea of living and working overseas,” says Woods. “I could’ve easily gone to the UK, as I have a British passport, but I figured I should go somewhere very different because there’s so much more to learn about the world.”
After Woods graduated from university, he worked in senior project management roles for Australia Post, Bartter Enterprises, Amex and ADT Security, before making a push into the Asian market.
“I started looking around in Melbourne for ways of connecting with companies that were doing business in China,” he says.
In 2016, Woods landed a role with global property platform, Juwai.com, and moved to Shanghai. Within four years, he rose through the ranks to become chief operating officer.
“I love the pace of Shanghai, the access in terms of how convenient everything is,” he says. “Think of anything and you’ll either have it in 20–30 minutes, or you’ll have it in 24–48 hours.”
Appeal of a board posting
Five years ago, Woods left Juwai.com to take up the role with AustCham Shanghai, which he viewed as the next step not only in his career, but in embedding himself in China and its professional networks.
“Over that period of time [at Juwai], I learned the importance of a network in China and what that provides, whether that be access or information,” he says.
“While I was at Juwai, my network was more within the community of that company, as opposed to being much broader. I wasn’t that connected. So the chamber for me was a fantastic opportunity for building a network that would structure my ability to be in China for the long term.”
Woods describes his Mandarin as “survival Chinese”, but notes fluency is less important than Australian directors may imagine.
“I can talk to the taxi driver, I can talk to the delivery person delivering food, but I am not fluent,” he says. “But Shanghai is structured with English everywhere and it’s the most international city in China.”
For Australian directors wishing to explore a board role in China, according to Woods, there’s really nothing that beats being on the ground.
“You really need to be in China to be able to talk about China,” he says. “It changes so fast, so unless you’re here, it’s very difficult to see that pace of change.”
Governance differences
Of course, Australian directors who move to China will encounter differences between how boards manage business and fulfil their obligations.
According to Woods, AustCham Shanghai runs an international board, drawing on Australian governance guidance and standards while also complying with Chinese law. However, he notes that more traditional Chinese boards have a distinct pecking order.
“In a purely Chinese boardroom, the chair will be the hierarchical decision maker.”
Risk management is an important part of governance in China, as board members must parse how government rules or policies apply to their company.
“If the government puts in a policy or makes a policy change, you need to understand where your company sits within that framework,” says Woods.
“If you’re directly in line with what they’re focusing on, then you need to sit up and take notice.”
As a result, the AustCham board’s extensive network is routinely consulted when seeking clarity around government policy or an agenda item, to ensure risk is appropriately handled.
“A skills matrix for a board is important, but understanding a board’s network is also important,” he says.
“We have a standing agenda item for our board that every quarter we reach out to three to five different sources to check and measure the change of pulse for that particular item.”
Woods also notes that in Australia there is a clearer timetable if someone wants to step down from a board role. However, in China, this situation is more fluid.
“They don’t have a particular timeframe within which they need to remove you,” he says. “If they don’t want you to leave because of who you are or what you represent, it can take time [to exit that board].”
Cultural readiness
For Woods, readiness for a board role in China is mostly about understanding how the country works. For Australians, this may mean toning down our national propensity for forthrightness in favour of assessing board dynamics before jumping in to offer advice or opinions.
“In some contexts, it’s OK and appreciated to be forthright, but in other contexts, it’s not,” he says. “At the beginning, you need to understand there is a cultural difference and follow the pace of how board meetings flow. If you’re in a higher-level position, you can probably afford to be more direct, because people need to understand your culture and where you’re coming from.”
While Woods misses his parents and “can’t get fish and chips in Shanghai”, he views China as a permanent base rather than a career assignment. “This is my second home. I like the pace, how fast it moves.”
This article first appeared as 'Our guy in Shanghai' in the June/July 2026 Issue of Company Director Magazine.
Latest news
Already a member?
Login to view this content