Aptiv chief executive officer wins Magnolia Gold Award
Simon Yang, chief executive officer of Jiading-based Aptiv Asia Pacific, received the 2021 Magnolia Gold Award last month.
The Magnolia Gold Award is given to expats by Shanghai government every year for their contributions to the city's economic development and social progress.
Yang is one of 10 recipients of the award this year who are from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Italy.
A recipient of the 2018 Magnolia Silver Award, Yang has helped Aptiv set up two regional headquarters and two global research and development centers in Shanghai.
Yang helped Aptiv build an intelligent automobile factory in Shanghai that is automatic, digitalized and accessible to the Internet in all aspects, including production, management, storage and logistics.
As a multinational company, Aptiv specializes in the production of automobile wire harness systems and the development of automotive technologies. Yang took over the company's business in China 19 years ago and established a branch in Shanghai's Jiading District.
"In some sense, it was not me to choose Shanghai, but Shanghai made me who I am," said Yang.
To show China's capabilities in automobile technologies to the world, 90 percent of Aptiv's automatic production devices are made by Chinese team under Yang's leadership.
"The self-developed and manufactured automobile production facilities not only make the traditional automobile industry more innovative, but also presents the world with our own strengths," said Zhang Yiding, head of the injection molding and pressing factory of Aptiv.
Aptiv has received more than 1,600 patents in China, and many of its technologies lead the world. Yang credits all the success to cultivating talent.
Speaking of the cultivation of talent, Yang feels an obligation to cultivate more in auto industry.
"We are devoted to sending our domestic engineers to other countries to learn advanced technologies. Overseas experts will be invited to China to share their experience with us," said Yang. "Jiading also provides support, making me more confident to build a multi-national company that is managed by a Chinese with localized strategy. That's one of the reasons for the success of Aptiv in China."
Although Yang lived in the United States for many years, he still appreciates Chinese culture. Prior to the Chinese New Year, Yang and his colleagues made dumplings together to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.
"This is my first time staying in China during the Spring Festival. I'm glad Simon taught me how to make dumplings and showed me the amazing Chinese culture," said David Farrugia, counselor of the global trade sector at Aptiv.
Simon Yang (right) and David Farrugia make dumplings.
The company's eight R&D centers and 36 manufacturing bases focusing on active automotive safety, automatic driving and improving the driving experience brings new momentum for reform in the automobile industry and supports the development of new-energy vehicle companies such as Tesla, NIO and Xpeng.
Yang created a voluntary association at Aptiv in 2008 to care for others, support education and protect the Earth.
He led about 20,000 employees on 58 voluntary activities around China. In the past 13 years, their services in Shanghai have benefited nursing homes, Hope Schools and children from impoverished families.
