Diane Wang is the founder, chairperson, and CEO at DHgate Group, one of the leading cross-border B2B e-commerce marketplaces in China. She’s also a Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) member! In this member spotlight, we asked Wang a series of questions about both her professional role and personal life, including the woman that inspires her, her leadership style, her advice for the next generation of female leaders, and much more.

  1. What is a book you would recommend for Women in Retail readers?

The first thing that comes to mind is actually a film rather than a book. I recommend “Peaceful Warrior” which is based on the 1980 novel “Way of the Peaceful Warrior“ by Dan Millman.

The film features a character named Dan, a gifted athlete whose desire for success drives everything he does, but the results don’t go well for him. Then, he encounters Socrates, an unusual mentor who teaches him to live in the moment.

As I watched it, I realized that “now” is all we have, and I wanted to use the moment of my life to serve others. Serving others makes me feel meaningful, enabling me to lead a purposeful life. I do this not to pursue outcomes or seek validation from others, but rather as an engine propelling my actions.

Although it may not look like success under the usual definition, to benefit others is to benefit yourself. The more you share, the more you receive emotionally, and I believe spiritually. It is a truly positive cycle. This is true for companies as well. Those with a core belief in serving others can develop better, especially in these challenging times, and more importantly, they can be sustainable.

  1. What is a tip for leading a cross-border, multinational team?

I believe that building a great team comes down to cultivating a good culture at work. A trusting and loving company culture with good communication can overcome geographic and cultural barriers. I want employees to have an environment of trust and support so that they can dare to try new things without fear.

  1. What are some things you would have done differently earlier in your career? 

One of the things I discovered during my career is that we can’t win if we fight the wrong battle. I realized that if you fight in a system designed by others, you lose. In “The Art of War”, Sun Tzu writes, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

I believe the biggest obstacle for women is not from the outside but, in most cases, from the inside. Anyone can explore themselves, discover what truly brings them joy and passion, and find opportunities and ways to bloom that are unique to them.

  1. What’s the toughest part of being in charge?

The foundation of my business is to not only treat the workplace as that — a place to work — but also as a platform for personal growth, a place where they can support their family and friends and also find and share their inner energy.

What I strive for is to build a happy company, where we not only achieve business success through innovation but also enable our team members to experience personal growth and spiritual fulfillment within it.

Inspired by ancient wisdom, I have my perspective that I call “everyone is a dragon.” There was a time when someone asked me what gives a company an overall sense of happiness. My response was that it is an environment where everyone embodies the spirit of a dragon. The concept of “everyone is a dragon” suggests that each person has the potential for greatness.

  1. What’s the best way you motivate team members?

Whether you’re in front-end operations or providing back-end support, whether you’re a CEO or an assistant, anyone can delve into self-discovery, uncover their genuine interests and passions, and identify opportunities and avenues to blossom in their own unique way.

I want my employees’ eyes to shine when they work. I believe that our team can’t be afraid of failure in order to succeed. I call this “dare to fail.” You must act from your heart on important decisions and be resolute so that you can bloom without fear. If you fail, celebrate that failure, make changes and move on.

  1. What woman inspires you right now and why?

Aside from well-known business figures, I think there are many female entrepreneurs around us who provide just as much inspiration. They might come from underprivileged backgrounds or lack resources, but they never give up, persevering and trying their best to find their own way. Their unique stories are just as motivational to spur people to learn and change.

I would like to share the story of Miriam Febechukwu. She is from Nigeria and she is the champion of the second APEC Women Connect “Her Power” entrepreneurship competition. Despite a strong medical background, she quit her job as a surgeon due to the inequity she faced in the workplace and then leveraged the power of e-commerce to start her own business. Now she has made a difference in the e-commerce world.

What I want to highlight here is that all of us should try to tell more encouraging women stories, like Miriam’s, so that more female entrepreneurs can get the power and guidance from there.

  1. What are you looking forward to the most for the industry over the next year?

Social commerce is an inevitable trend for 2023 and beyond, and one that will surely empower sales, marketing, and growth whether you are in the B2B or B2C fields.

Whether you are an online retailer, social influencer, content creator, micro trader, or individual business owner, to seize the opportunity of social commerce, you either establish yourself as a social influencer or collaborate with influencers. There is no other option. We saw this trend coming several years ago, which is why we decided to create MyyShop in 2020.

We are fortunate to be in such an era of change. In order to seize these new opportunities, we work to maintain an entrepreneurial state of mind. It is necessary to dare to think and act to take advantage of these new opportunities, even if it means making mistakes or failing.

  1. What is one thing you look for when interviewing a potential candidate?

We look for signs that people are driven by a passion for their work, not simply success and failure. Is the work you are doing something that makes your eyes shine? Will they be driven by their inspiration to keep going even in the face of challenges? I want to see everyone’s eyes shine when they work.

  1. What’s something that you learned about yourself in the past year?

I’ve been running DHgate Group for almost 20 years, but I still find that there are always new things to learn as a leader and manager. Because the company and industry are constantly changing, there are always fresh challenges to face.

If everyone does something that makes their eyes shine, they will naturally be filled with a constant source of strength. I have been on the entrepreneurial journey with DHgate for 19 years, and I believe that the next 19 years won’t be too difficult either.

  1. What is something you learned expanding your business?

When expanding DHgate Group, I learned that starting new divisions — such as the social commerce platform MyyShop — is like starting a whole new startup business. It is better to think about it this way to increase your chances of success. Each new business expansion requires a unique approach, just like a new startup would.

  1. What values are most important to you as a leader?

Being oneself is not just self-acceptance; it also involves influencing others. Your light doesn’t only benefit you; it also ignites those around you, bringing warmth to your family, friends, and clients, much like a lighthouse.

I believe in focusing on “building for good, not for big.” I value employees’ well-being and fostering a loving and trusting environment that allows employees to support each other. A healthy enterprise will not only achieve commercial success through business innovation, but it will also allow its partners to reap their own growth and spiritual abundance.

Based on love and trust, I believe in the ability of our employees to make their own judgments, set reasonable goals, and achieve progress that benefits our customers, the company, and themselves.

  1. What’s the most important thing people should know about you?

My last day at Cisco remains unforgettable. On that day before leaving, I wrote the final words on the small whiteboard in my office: “dream high, work hard.” This was my most authentic inner voice at the time. Then, I left, closed the door, bid farewell to that chapter of my life, and ventured into entrepreneurship.

Back then, I followed my heart’s choice. What I want to say is that anyone can discover what they truly love and are passionate about, finding their own opportunities and ways to flourish.

I greatly value a “sense of mission” that motivates me to serve others, encouraging and supporting people and helping them improve. Like the concept of “everyone is a dragon,” I believe anyone can achieve greatness. I have shifted my focus from personal achievements and tasks to collective intelligence, emphasizing people and vocalizing ideas rather than just quietly working.

  1. What practices do you recommend for teams to be more productive and happy?

As a leader, you must instill in your team that the outcome of our work is not as simple as success and failure. We need a more nuanced approach that allows us to learn and grow as a team and as individuals. We need to “dare to fail.” We can both fail in some areas and succeed in others. Failure is part of success and doesn’t need to be seen as negative.

Within DHgate Group, driven by love and trust, we embrace freedom and courage, achieving a state of “no fear.” Everyone is empowered to be their best, and this is the kind of happy company we aspire to be.

  1. What is most important to you in your career?

To build a “women-helping-women” culture, both in the workplace and outside of it. I want to make sure that women in general and female entrepreneurs are given every chance to pursue their business ambitions. This means avoiding the wrong battles and barriers that have traditionally slowed or halted women, and also introducing new paths for success, such as social commerce and MyyShop’s solution for kickstarting an online business.

Whether internally at DHgate and MyyShop or for creators and aspiring entrepreneurs using these platforms, I envision the workplace as not just a place for work but also a platform for personal growth.

  1. What are the most important technologies that are impacting the world right now?

I believe the development of social commerce is one of the most important technology developments right now. We will see a change in the way business works as we see a shift toward retailers becoming creators and creators becoming retailers.

I believe that AI is also a very pivotal emerging technology right now. We are beginning to use AI technology in our social commerce platform Myyshop. It allows our product matching system to continually improve and give customers a better experience, while increasing sales for creators.

  1. What are good practices to avoid burnout?

There is not one way to do this, but clearing your mind and talking to your heart can be very powerful in building energy and recovering from work. But it is important to remember that everyone is different and there is not one way, and everyone must find their own path.

  1. What is your biggest accomplishment?

I believe my greatest accomplishment is being able to speak up for women and participate in the movement to empower more women in entrepreneurship and in their careers. I have had the opportunity to speak in front of audiences about women’s empowerment in business. I realized that even though it can be stressful to address a group of powerful women and men, there was value in speaking up, even if my words helped only one or two people.  Talking to women from many different regions and backgrounds and getting feedback from them about how to get support from other women and what a difference it makes in their lives is inspiring. We need such mutual understanding and support. Without them, we would not go far.

  1. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?

Despite all the progress women have made in leadership roles in the past years, women still face many challenges when it comes to leadership. I would like to work with more next generation of female leaders, help them to stand up, speak out, and support one another in their field. Whether it be through organizations like Women in Retail or other networks, it is vitally important that we keep growing support for each other.

  1. What gets you up in the morning?

Empowering others makes me feel meaningful. It helps me live a purposeful life. I don’t do it to seek recognition from anyone. It is like an engine driving me to take action. My greatest passion at this stage is to create an environment through our company platform where our employees feel more “daring” and can fully unleash their potential. I want each individual to find their unique way to bloom fearlessly. Behind this lies the driving force of trust.

All the opportunities ahead of us are what spur me to get moving in the morning.

  1. What do you like most about being a member of Women in Retail?

Learning about other women’s inspirational stories in this community is my favorite thing about being a member. I have been in the cross-border e-commerce industry for most of my career, and I am so happy to see supportive communities for women in this industry. I look forward to working to empower women together in this community.

Interested in connecting with women like Wang? Apply today to become a Women in Retail Leadership Circle member!